Return to the Innocence
by Glow60
Summary: Summary – This story is a sequel to "I See You". Early one morning, three children disappear without a trace? When Gibbs and his team are sent to investigate, they uncover something almost out of one of Grimm's fairy tales. With the help of Tac, Gibbs and Tony are transformed into small children so they can go into Tac's world and bring these children back to their families.
1. Chapter 1

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

_**Summary – **__This story is a sequel to "I See You". I wanted to write it for the reviewers who wanted another story about Tony's purple friend Tac. This story is pure fantasy so if you do not like this type story please do not read it. _

_Early one morning, three children disappear without a trace? When Gibbs and his team are sent to investigate, they uncover something almost out of one of Grimm's fairy tales. With the help of Tac, Gibbs and Tony are transformed into small children so they can go into Tac's world and bring these children back to their families. _

_**Things to remember**_

_**Gibbs**__ – seven year old_

_**Tony**__ – five year old_

_**Tac **__– When Tac is in his human form he is called Thomas. _

_If I mess up please forgive me._

_**Chapter 1**_

Tony had spent the last two weeks looking for a new apartment. He knew it was time for him to move out of Gibbs' house before they ended up killing each other. He could tell they were both getting on each other's nerves. To Tony the last straw was the day he accidently threw the older man's coffee out by mistake. He had to run out to the store in the middle of the night to find Gibbs' special brand of coffee before Gibbs found out. It took him over two hours to find it. Tony had really appreciated everything Gibbs had done for him but he needed and wanted his own space.

Ducky had called him early this morning because he had a friend who owned several nice apartment buildings not too far from NCIS. One of the apartments had just become available. The M.E. took Tony over to check the place out. Tony liked it the moment he saw it. In many ways this apartment was much better than the one he use to have. It was a two-bedroom apartment with very spacious rooms. It also had an outside private balcony that overlooked the swimming pool. What he really liked the best about the building was that it had a working elevator and if the elevator broke down he only had two flights of stairs to climb. Tony with the help of Gibbs, McGee, Palmer, Ziva and Abby moved into it that Saturday.

On Monday, Tony was cleared to go back to work as long as he stayed at his desk. He needed to see Dr. Rachel Cranston for a couple more sessions before she would clear him for fieldwork. Tony was still having some nightmares about being left alone in that white padded cell for so long. The sessions were kind of hard for Tony because he had to be careful what he said. If Cranston knew the truth she would probably have him locked away forever.

It was two weeks later when Tony was finally allowed back into the field. Things were starting to get back to normal. Tony was his usually annoying self but nobody was complaining. They were just too happy to have him back especially Abby, McGee and Ziva. Even Gibbs would smile every now and then at his senior field agent when nobody was looking.

A month had passed since he had last seen Thomas at the party. Tony had hoped it would also be the last time he saw his purple friend for a while but Tac had decided to hang around. Tony laughed to himself when he remembered Tac showing up at one of the crime scene.

_**Tac the Investigator…**_

_The purple creature started showing up at some of the crime scenes and wanted to help with their investigations. Only Tony and Gibbs could see him. Tony knew he was in trouble the moment he saw Gibbs trying to stare down his purple friend. Tac just kept smiling at him, which made Gibbs even angrier. _

_Gibbs finally pulled Tony, "DiNozzo, if you want to keep your job you had better tell your friend to stay way from these investigations. We don't need him here."_

"_He's your friend too. Besides Boss, all he wants to do is help us. He doesn't really mean anything about it."_

_Gibbs smacked the back of Tony's head, "If it wasn't for you I would have never met him. Now you tell our friend to stay away or you will be working delivering pizzas. Do I make myself clear?"_

"_Yes Boss, I will have a talk with him."_

_Tony did as he was told and finally convinced Tac that he was fine and to go spend some time with his other children. Tac looked like his feelings were hurt a little but he knew his Smiley was right. He should go and see his other children._

_**Present Time…**_

Several months passed; SecNav wanted to impress a foreign diplomat friend of his. Jarvis told him that he would have two of his best field agents escort him and his wife around the Washington DC. Vance had given that protection detail to Tony and Ziva. Gibbs was not happy about it but there wasn't much he could do at the time.

It was early in the morning when a call came in that three small children were missing. Each child had a parent that was in the marines and that parent was serving a tour overseas. Gibbs and McGee left to interview the families and friends to see if they could find out what happened and return the children to their families. The mothers of the missing children had told them that the power had gone out throughout the neighborhood. When they went to check on their children it was when they discovered them missing. Gibbs and McGee asked each of the mothers if they noticed any strangers hanging around the neighborhood recently. The parents told them no but they did mention for the last few weeks their children kept talking about a purple man hanging around the outside of the window asking to come in. The parents had called the military police but nothing became of it. All three mothers just wrote it off as their children's imagination. Gibbs remained calm as he wrote the information down. He needed to talk with Tony as soon as they all got back to the office.

_**Just outside of DC…**_

He stood there and watched as the three little human children were huddled together. They had not stopped crying since he brought them here. He could see the fear in their eyes and at the moment he really didn't care because now they belong to him. He took one last look around. He really hated this place and swears he will never come back. He was going home and he was taking these younglings with him. A few seconds later a bright light surrounded them and he and the children vanished. The power went out throughout the area...

_**Back at NCIS…**_

It was late in the evening when Tony and Ziva finally returned to the office. Gibbs grabbed his senior field agent and dragged him into the elevator leaving Ziva standing there by herself. She immediately ran to McGee to find out what was up with that. McGee told her he had no idea what was going on.

Gibbs pressed the down button and immediately stopped the elevator between the floors. He told the younger man what he found out about the missing children. He wanted to know if it was possible that Tac could have taken these children. Tony looked surprised. He couldn't ever picture Tac taking the children from their homes. Tony shook his head. "No…No Boss there is no way Tac would have done anything like that. He might do something to the person who neglects or hurts children but he would never take them away from people that love them."

"Are you so sure DiNozzo? How many purple people do you know?"

"Boss, I know Tac and he would never do that and I would bet my life on it."

"You better be damn sure about this because back when we were not sure if you were ever going to be back to your normal self, the doctor had wanted to send you to some kind of nursing home. Tac threatened me if I did that he would take you away from here and I would never find you. Who is to say he wouldn't do that with some small child?"

"Boss, I still don't believe Tac would have done that besides he says there are others of his kind that exist here in our world. Maybe it was one of them?"

Gibbs just stared at Tony for a few seconds, "Alright, is there a way you can contact Tac so we can talk to him."

"I don't know, I have never tried to do that."

_**Thomas/Tac Returns…**_

It was Saturday and Thomas/Tac finally showed up at Tony's apartment door. He knew eventually his child would need him but it didn't expect it so soon. Instead of just popping into Tony's apartment, he decided to be polite and ring the doorbell first.

Tony was hungry and getting ready to make himself a sandwich when he heard the doorbell chime. He walked to the front door and looked through the peephole and saw Thomas/Tac. Tony immediately opened the door and pulled his friend inside. Tony was so afraid Thomas/Tac would take off before they could talk.

"Where have you been? It's about time you showed up. I have been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday."

"I have been here and there visiting my children just as you suggested I do. Smiley, don't you remember a certain person telling me to go visit my other children?"

"Yes I remember, but right now something has happened and Gibbs needs to talk to you. Please don't go anywhere. You just stay right where you are. I need to call Gibbs and let him know you are here."

While Tony made the call, Thomas/Tac decided to look around Tony's new apartment. He really liked the setup. He was now wondering if there was a vacant apartment in this building. He could just imagine Smiley's face when he finds out they were neighbors. It would be so much fun.

Once Tony got off the phone he noticed that Thomas/Tac was no longer in the room with him. He immediately started to panic. As he ran from room to room, he finally found his friend in the kitchen checking out Tony's refrigerator. "Smiley, I thought Ducky told you to start eating more fruits and vegetables? I don't think strawberry ice cream or cold pizza can count as a fruit or vegetable."

Tony just gave him a dirty look. "I didn't ask you here to talk about my eating habits."

It took Gibbs only ten minutes to arrive at Tony's apartment. As soon as he walked into the apartment he immediately began to question Thomas/Tac about the missing children.

"Whoa…Gibbs, I don't know what you are talking about. I have not taken anybody's children. I have been tempted many times but I have never done it. It's not my way of doing things."

"We interviewed the parents of the missing children. They said before their children disappeared their children saw a purple looking man hanging just outside their windows and he was trying to get them to let him inside. The parents called the military police and they could not find any trace of anyone being by the window. A couple of the parents were so worried they had put cameras by the window to see if they could catch the man. All they saw on the video were their children talking to nobody. They called the experts but they were told their children will not grow out of it and not to worry."

"Gibbs…I promise you I didn't do it but someone from my world might have."

"Why would one of your people take three human children?"

Thomas/Tac looked at Gibbs, "As I told you months ago, we cannot have our own younglings anymore. We love children and miss them in our world. If one of them thought these children were in danger they might have taking them."

"Have your people taken human children before?"

"Yes under certain circumstances."

"And what were they?"

"In the past, there have been many bad unthinkable things happen to children. Some of my people may have taken them back to our world to save their lives."

"We have talked with the neighbors about these children and their parents. These children are from very good homes and their parents love them dearly. The neighbors whom we interviewed said the only complaint the children ever had against their parents was that they missed their fathers and wanted them to come home. Why would one of your people take these kids?"

"I cannot speak for my kind. I can only speak for myself. I know it is getting harder for us to find children we can bond with. If we do not we will fade away. Most of lonely children these days spend a lot of time watching TV's and playing on the computers and no longer need an imaginary friend."

"There are many kids that live in poverty all over this planet. Why not help these kids?"

At the moment, Thomas/Tac didn't care for Gibbs' attitude or his questioning. He was starting to feel as if he had to defend himself and his people. "Gibbs…you are wrong about the children who live in poverty. Yes…many of them are growing up in very bad horrible situations but they still have family members who love them. My friend, what you seem to be having trouble understanding about my kind is we befriend and bond with the younglings who have nobody to love or care for them. These are the children who can live in a house full of family members and yet nobody even acts like these little ones ever existed. They need a friend even if it is an imaginary one and we supply them with that need. In today's world it is getting harder and harder for my kind to find these children because of the Internet or TV have taken over their attention. They just don't seem to need us anymore."

"What do you mean by bond with?"

"We take them into our hearts. Just like I did with my Smiley here. I was there as a companion and protector for him while he was young. I will always be in his life. I can sense when he was hurting or in trouble."

"I am going to asked you again. Would any of them have taking these children?"

"I won't lie to you Gibbs, but it is very possible that one of my kinsmen could have taken them. As to why they did it I can't tell you."

"Is there a way you can find out?"

"Sure, give me a few minutes. Where do these children live?"

Gibbs gave Thomas/Tac the information. Tony realized what Thomas/Tac was about to do and tried to stop him but he was too late. Thomas/Tac had already disappeared in a flash of light and then the power went out. Tony hoped his landlord could not trace the power failure back to him. He really liked this apartment.

It wasn't long before Thomas/Tac reappeared. He realized the power was out and apologized to Tony. He turned and looked at looked at Gibbs. "I went to the site and I could tell by the smell that one of my kind had been there."

Gibbs looked at Tony and then back to Thomas/Tac. "Okay…where would have taken these kids?"

"I don't believe they are still here on Earth. I believe he would have taken them to my world."

"Why would you think that?"

"Trust me if my kind has taken these children then that have taken them to my world."

"How do you travel to your planet?"

"The same way I travel on Earth?"

"Is there a way you can go to your world and find out if these children are there or not?"

"If I were to go alone, I might bring suspicion to myself." Thomas/Tac looked at the two humans. He smiled as an idea came to him at the moment. "I got it, I can take you both to my world but there will be one stipulation."

Gibbs was almost afraid to ask, "And what is the stipulation?"

Thomas/Tac had a wide grin on his face, "You will have to go as children."

Tony looked at Gibbs and then back to Thomas/Tac and smiled, "I hate to break the news to you my old friend but Gibbs and I have already gone through puberty years ago."

Gibbs couldn't help it, "DiNozzo I will be the judge of when you went through puberty. I am still waiting for it to happen."

"Boss that really hurt."

Thomas/Tac ignored their bantering, "Well, do you want me to take you there or not?"

"Why can't we go as ourselves?"

"Adult humans are not allowed in my world. A couple of millenniums ago, one of my kinsmen invited a human into our world. He stayed with us for very long time. Eventually the human decided to return to his world and he had convinced my kinsman to allow him to take several of our sacred creatures with him. When our leader found out he became very angry because these creatures were precious to our world and him. We tried to bring the creatures back to our world but they didn't survive. It broke our leader's heart and he was so distraught over the deaths of his precious creatures that he himself faded away. His wife took his place as leader; she banned all adult humans from our world. If any of us tried to bring a human into our world we would be forever locked away with no contact with anyone. To us it would be a death sentence…"

Thomas/Tac looked at the two humans, "Gibbs and Smiley…in your world these creatures were know as the Unicorn, Griffin, Phoenix and the Pegasus."

Tony couldn't help it, "Are you telling me these creatures are not a myth and that they really did exist?"

"They still do exist in my world."

Gibbs spoke next, "If humans adults are banned on your world why would your people take human children who will eventually turned into adults?"

"As long as they stayed in our world they will never grew up. They will always remain as children. Eventually some of them will want to go home. My kinsmen would take them back to earth and try and help them to assimilate back into the human society. It usually ended up being a bad experience for them. They very seldom live to adulthood. Most of them would commit suicide. They just couldn't handle the change. It was then decided that we would not bring any of them to our planet but not all of my kind agreed to it. There are some in other parts of my world who still keep children as their own."

Gibbs just stared at Thomas/Tac for a few seconds out of disbelief. To him all this sounded like a fairytale or some very bad nightmare depending on how you looked at it.

Thomas/Tac waited a few seconds and then he finally asked, "Do you want me to take you there or not?"

Gibbs looked at Tony. He could tell the younger man didn't like the idea any more than he did. Gibbs thought about it for a few minutes but he didn't see any other way around it. They needed to go there and see if they can find the kids and bring them home. "Okay, I will need to let Vance know that Tony and I will be undercover for a while."

Thomas/Tac smiled, "You won't need to make any calls because that is the beauty of spending time in my world. Time has no meaning. When we return not even a minute will have passed."

Gibbs took a deep breath, "Okay…what do we need to do?"

"You two just need to sit down and close your eyes. I have never done this before so I am not sure how it is going to affect you."

Gibbs and Tony sat down and closed their eyes like they were told. It didn't take them long before they started to feel funny and then blackness took over. It was a few minutes later they started to come around. "You can open your eyes now."

When Gibbs finally opened his eyes and looked around the room. His eyes settled on the five-year-old boy sitting next to him. The child was wearing clothes that were too big for him. Gibbs had seen pictures of Tony when he was just a little boy and knew this little child could be nobody else but his senior field agent. Gibbs looked down at himself he was also wearing clothes that were too big. He hopped off the couch and walked over to the TV and looked at the reflection of himself. He couldn't get over how young he looked. He couldn't have been more than seven years old. He looked back at Tony. The little boy was smiling at him. "Hey Boss, you were really a cute kid when you were young…"

* * *

Please let me know if you are interested in reading more. If you are I will try my best to post weekly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. As always I really appreciate them. Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

_**Things to remember**_

_**Gibbs**__ – seven year old_

_**Tony**__ – five year old_

_**Tac Purple creature and Tony's friend and protector**__ – When Tac is in human form he is called Thomas._

_**CHAPTER 2**_

"DiNozzo…shut up."

"Shutting up…Little Boss."

Gibbs grinned when he saw the face of his five-year-old senior field agent. Tony was doing everything he could to keep the smile off his face. When the younger of the two boys put his hands up to his face to cover his mouth that's all it took to get everyone in the room to burst out laughing. When they finally stopped laughing Gibbs asked Tac, "Okay, what do we do next?"

Thomas looked at his two small human friends. The clothes they were wearing were way too big for them. He knew before they left for his world he was going to have to go out and buy Gibbs and his Smiley some new clothes that would fit them. He wished he could just miraculously make things appear in front of him but he didn't have that ability. He never had to worry about clothes for himself, he just left it up to his children's imagination after all he was a shift changer.

After Thomas left to do some shopping, Tony's stomach reminded him that he was still hungry. He knew he needed to get himself something to eat before they leave to wherever they were going because he didn't know when they would be able to eat next. As he headed toward the kitchen he almost tripped over his pants. Gibbs watched as the little boy Tony made a face and began to remove both his oversized pants and underwear. The only thing Tony had left on him was a big baggy shirt that almost touched the floor. Tony looked at Gibbs and smiled. The SFA then headed toward the kitchen as if he was now on a mission.

Gibbs looked at his shirt. It hung between his knees and ankles. He decided that it was safe to remove his pants and underwear too. He then headed into the kitchen to see what his SFA was doing. Tony had the refrigerator door open. It took Tony a couple of trips but he managed to get the lunchmeat, mustard, mayo and milk and put them on the table. He was struggling to reach the bread so Gibbs helped him with it. While Tony put the sandwiches together, Gibbs got a knife and started spreading the mustard and mayo on the bread. When they were finished making the sandwiches they smiled and high fived each other. It was a job well done.

Now that the sandwiches were made they were going to need glasses for the milk. The drinking glasses were in the upper cabinets. Tony looked at Gibbs because he knew there was no way in hell he could reach it. Gibbs studied the situation. He moved one of the kitchen chairs closer next to the counter. He climbed up on it and reached for the cabinet door. He managed to open the door and reach in and get the glasses. He was so pleased with himself when he got the two glasses down without breaking them.

By the time they had finished eating, there was nothing Gibbs or Tony could do until Thomas returned. Tony decided to sit down and watch a movie while Gibbs read the newspaper that was laying on Tony's coffee table. It was almost an hour later when Thomas returned with their new clothes and some camping gear they were going to need.

While Tony and Gibbs changed into the smaller clothes, Thomas turned back into his true self and picked up the camping gear. They vanished into a bright light.

_**Terrae Antiquos **__(The Land of the Ancients)_

It didn't take them long to reach Tac's home world. The first thing Gibbs had noticed were the huge colorful statues that surrounded them. There must have been at least a hundred of them. They looked like Tac but they were much taller and slimmer in size. Some were male and some were female. The colors on them were almost breathtaking. Gibbs didn't think it was possible but the statues looked new and also very ancient at the same time. They were covered in vines with beautiful red, blue and orange flowers that seem to move every now and then. Tac warned the two humans to stay away from flowers. It could be very painful for them if they touch one of the flowers.

Tac had not been home for centuries. He had almost forgotten how beautiful his world was. He looked down at the two humans, "This is a very sacred place to my tribe. All these statues represent my ancestors that have passed before me. When I was just a little boy my mother and father would take me here to visit our ancestors. The ones in the center are the oldest. They are eons old. You will find these sacred places throughout my world. Each tribe has a place like this. Anytime we wish to talk to our ancestors for spiritual guidance we come here."

As Tony looked around he noticed the sky was almost the same color as Earth but much bluer. He also noticed off in the distance there were very tall light orangish looking snowcap mountains. He could see what looked like bird flying off in the distance. When he asked Tac about the orange snow he was told it was really foliage from the trees that grow on the mountains. There were no winters in this part of his world."

"How big is your world?"

Tac knelt down in front of them so he could be a little more eye level with his two friends, "One hundred of your Earths could fit inside my world if it was hollow. My world is were most of your Earth legends had come from. The human children we brought to our world a long time ago and that had decided to go back to Earth told stories of our world. Their stories were passed down through generations and became part of your mythologies and legends."

Tac looked toward the mountains, "While we are in my world, I must warn you both to always stay close to me or I cannot protect you. If you wander away from me I will not be able stop my kinsmen or any animal from taking you."

Gibbs didn't want to think about what the animals would do to them but he was curious about Tac's people so he had to ask, "Why would your kinsmen take us?"

"Not all my kinsmen are like me. Some will take you and claim you as theirs. If that happens they can take you somewhere I might not be able to find you. There are places in this world that will block the bond Smiley and I have."

"What will they do with us if they take us?"

Tac didn't smile at all, "Some would take you and treat you like their very own child. Others will keep you chained like a pet."

Gibbs decided to change the subject, "Where are we going to be heading?"

"My tribe lives at the bottom of those mountains and I think it best we start there. If the children are not in the village then my kinsman might be able to help us locate them. I also hate to break the news to you but I cannot travel in my world like I do on Earth. We will have to travel by foot and it will take us at least two days to get to my village. Come it best we get started." Tac stood up and signaled them to follow him.

It was a couple hours later when Tony started to get very tired. His little legs just couldn't keep up with them. Tac reached down and picked him up but Tony protested, "Hey put me down. I can walk on my own."

Tac tilted his head and laughed, "Smiley, I know you can walk but if I let you continue to walk like you are doing right now it is going to take us a week to get there. Those little legs of yours are going to slow us down."

"Well, you should have made me bigger."

"I made you that age because it would be more believable. If you were to act a little older maybe you would be a little older."

Tony looked down at his boss and could tell Gibbs was enjoying his predicament. Tony smiled and looked at his friend who was carrying him, "Are you telling me that you made Gibbs like a seven year old because he acts that way?"

Tac smiled deviously at Gibbs and then back to his passenger, "No, I made him that age because it will make it easier for me to carry him if I had too." Tony looked down at his boss and could tell Gibbs was enjoying every minute of it.

After about another hour of walking Gibbs had wished Tac would carry him too. He was getting very tired. His legs were not that much longer than Tony's. He didn't want to complain but he was glad when Tac finally decided to take a break. Gibbs sat down on a rock and watched as Tac gently put Tony down. The little boy Tony walked over to him. "Gibbs, I have been thinking that this whole thing might not be such a good idea? Maybe the kids aren't here. Maybe we should go back home?"

Gibbs shook his head. He was still having trouble believing that this little boy was his senior field agent. "Tony we can't leave here until we find out if the children are here or not."

"I know Boss, but I have a very bad feeling about this whole thing. The way our luck is something is going to go wrong. The other thing is…now that I am really close to Tac…well he smells pretty bad and I mean really…really bad. He smells almost like..."

Tac who had been standing about thirty feet from them finally walked over and knelt down in front of them. He smiled as he looked at both of them, "It will be another hour or so before nightfall. So, I think we should make camp here."

Tac looked at Tony, "And Smiley…I heard what you said about me and let me tell you that you don't smell so good yourself. So grin and bear it. We still have a long way to go."

Tony eyes went big. He forgot that Tac has very good hearing.

Tac looked at the two small boys, "I am going to have to leave for a little while. I need to find us some food and drinking water. I need you both hid in the bushes until I get back. I will not be gone long."

_**Merkfid…**_

While they hide in the bushes, Tony started telling Gibbs about this old movie he once saw when he was a little boy. About halfway into the story Gibbs heard a branch break. He signaled Tony to be quiet. They both watched as someone who looked almost like Tac moved into their view. The native sniffed the air as he moved closer to the bushes. When he was just a few feet from their hiding spot he stopped. He smiled as he moved the bushes back, "I thought so, younglings where did you come from?"

Gibbs moved immediately in front of Tony, "We are waiting for our friend."

The native looked around and didn't see anyone. "I see no one, who is this friend of yours?"

Before either Gibbs or Tony could say anything Tac showed up. "Merkfidi, they are mine and I told them to wait here for me while I went to get us some food."

The native turned and grinned as he recognized the voice behind him, "My old friend Tackdeillseilfjsltleuladkd it is so good to see you again."

Gibbs and Tony watched as the two old friends hugged and greeted each other. Finally they let go and Tac's friend turned toward the two younglings. "You surprise me, I never thought I would see you again and why have you brought these two little ones here with you?"

"These two are my special ones. Their human parents didn't take very good care of them. If I had left them with their parents these two would be dead by now. So, I decided to take them and keep them safe with me."

Tac's friend just stood there and shook his head he never understood how some humans could treat their precious younglings the way they do. It was one of the reasons he chose to stay in his world. He had gone to Earth with his friend Tac thousands of years ago. He returned to his home world because he could not bear to watch the younglings suffer. It just bothered him too much.

Merkfidi suddenly thought about something and started laughing, "If your mother gets her hands a hold of these two you may never get them back?"

Tac started laughing at the thought of Gibbs and Tony meeting his mother. "These two are my special little ones and my mother is going to have to understand it. She can enjoy them but they will always be mine."

Merkfidi continued to laugh as he walked over and knelt down in front of the two boys. Gibbs moved a little in front of Tony to protect him just incase. The native smiled at the older boy's reaction to him. "Don't worry little one, I am not here to harm you. What are your names younglings?"

Gibbs spoke up, "My name is Gibbs and this is my friend Tony."

Tony smiled and waved to him.

Merkfidi got up and walked back to his friend. "I would walk with you to the village but I have things I have to take care of first. I will see you in a couple of days my old friend."

"I will be looking forward to it," Tac watched his old friend walk out of sight.

"It's getting late and we need to setup camp." It didn't take them, when they were finished Tac passed out the water and some fruit he had gathered earlier. Tac knew the night was going to get cold; he had Gibbs and Tony sleep in the same bedding as he was in. His body heat would keep the humans warm.

When morning came, they packed up their things and continued on their journey toward the mountains…

* * *

The next chapter should be up by next Friday. In that chapter we will learn a little more about Tony's past and also meet Tac's mother and a mythological creature.


	3. Chapter 3

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings.

_For those of you who are wondering were I am going with this story, I want this to be an adventure with some humor and also have some very tense moments. Tac, Gibbs and Tony are on a journey to find three missing children and bring them back home. Along the way they will come across some amazing animals and some amazing people. I am not sure if this will be a long story or a short one. It will depend on how things go as the story progresses._

_Also, if you are interest in a certain mythical creature and would like to read about it in the story please let me know. I am open to suggestions._

_**Chapter 3**_

The three had been walking for the last couple of hours when Tac decided it was time for them to take break. Gibbs had not complained once while Tony had whined most of the way about his feet hurting. Tac had offered to carry his little friend but Tony had refused. If Gibbs could walk so could he.

The two human boys sat down on a couple of rock as Tac handed them some fruit. While they sat there enjoying the much-needed break they started to hear some strange noises not too far from them. As they started to get up, Tac signaled them to keep quiet and stay where they were while he went to check it out.

When their purple friend returned he had a huge grin across his face. He signaled both Gibbs and Tony to be quiet and follow him. They had to climb up a small embankment. Tac whispered for them stay behind the bushes. A few seconds later, he parted bushes so they could see what was making all the noises. Gibbs and Tony both smiled when they saw something that had a head and wings like a bird and had the body of a lion grazing in a field. The animal was about the size of a large Clydesdale horse and had a very large wingspan. The head and wings on the animal were covered with multi colored feathers while the rest of its body was covered with honey brown hair.

Tony was so amazed that he couldn't remember the name of the creature, "Little Boss that's…that's...a…a…"

"Griffin…DiNozzo…Griffin." Gibbs whispered.

"I knew that little Boss, I just forgot it for a moment."

Gibbs whispered, "DiNozzo I am only going to warn you just this one time if you call me little Boss again, I am going to show you how my little hand is going to slap you little head into tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"

Tony ignored Gibbs and turned his attention to Tac, "Are they dangerous? Can we go near them? Do you think we can ride them?"

"They are very gentle creatures and my people do use them for traveling purposes. If you two wait here I will see if it will take us to my village."

Gibbs and Tony watched as their purple friend slowly walked toward the large animal. It stopped grazing as it watched Tac walk up to it. Tac bowed his head in front of it and then spoke in another language that neither Gibbs nor Tony has ever heard before. The creature bowed its head and let Tac touch it. Tac smiled and signaled both Gibbs and Tony to come over.

"He is going to let us ride him to my village."

All of a sudden Tony wasn't so brave anymore. He tried to move back a little and bumped into Gibbs. "Maybe…we…should…just...walk…"

Tac shook his head as he helped Gibbs up on the creature, "Smiley, if we were to walk the rest of the way to the village it would take us over a week to reach it with your little legs besides I can't take anymore of your whining anymore."

Tac reached down and picked Tony up and sat him just behind Gibbs. He hopped up on the flying creature and held the two small boys tightly as the griffin lifted off. Within seconds they were flying above the trees and enjoying the scenery.

_**Home…**_

With the help of the griffin it didn't take them long to reach their destination. The flying creature gently sat down on the ground. Tac helped his two little companions off just before the animal flew off. Tac took a few steps toward the village and stopped and just stared. He had not been home in a couple of millenniums. Gibbs and Tony could tell from Tac's expression that it was a very emotional moment for him. So they waited to see what he was going to do. Tac started telling them about his village.

Tony looked up at the structures he couldn't help but noticed this place reminded him so much of the clay apartments the Pueblo Indians constructed in the Southwest about 750-900 AD. The only difference he could see was that each apartment building was made from different colored clays and they were also much bigger in size with very large bay glass windows. To him, it brought back a childhood memory…

_**Boarding School and the History Fair…**_

_The boarding school he was attending was having a history fair and all the parents were invited. He remembered it was just a few months after he received word that his ex-nanny and evil stepmother __Rose had been run over by a train. He didn't shed a tear when he heard the news nor did his father make him go to her funeral. He felt relieved knowing that she was out of his father's and his life. His father was now starting to pay a little more attention to him. _

_For the history fair, he had teamed up with another boy named John and they decided to build a clay replica of a Pueblo Indian village. Tony got his idea from the last family vacation he went on with both his parents. He was seven at the time and his mother and father wanted to take a trip to the southwest. It was just before she started to get sick. He remembered they had visited the Grand Canyon, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and an ancient Pueblo Indian Village. While they were there, Tony's mother had bought him several children's books about Native American Indians. At night, she would sit there and read him stories until he fell asleep. It was one of his fondest memories of her._

_The two boys spent a month working together on the project. At the end they had won first prize for all their hard work. Tony was all excited because his father had promised him this time he would really be there for him. He had waiting all day for Senior to show up but he never did. He smiled sadly when he saw how proud John's parents were of their son. They wanted to take their son out and celebrate. They had offered to take Tony with them but he declined because he still expected his father show up. Tony waited for hours but his father never showed up. He tried to call his father but he kept going into voicemail. That night he cried himself to sleep._

_The next day, Tony was sitting in the dorm reading a book when his house parent came to let him know that he had a long distance phone call from his father. Tony ran to the phone._

"_Junior it's me your dad."_

"_Hi Dad…what happened, you promised me you were coming? I wanted to show you my…"_

_Senior cut him off and didn't let his son finish, "I am really sorry about that Junior…I…I was going to call you yesterday and let you know how sorry I was that I couldn't make it. I got so tied up in a…meeting to close this really sweet deal. The money I made will help pay for your education and some bills. Sometimes these things can't be helped. The other thing I wanted to call you about is that I met this really great woman named Claire. You are going to like her; she has two boys around your age. We are planning to get married in December and spending the Christmas Holiday in Hawaii with her family."_

_Tony got his hopes up, "Dad, does that mean…I will be going to Hawaii for…?"_

_Again Senior cut him off, "Sorry, Junior but Claire just wants only her side of the family this time. She wants her two sons and I to bond and we can't do that if you are there...right? I promise you…Claire and I will make it up to you when you are on your summer vacation. Her father owns this yacht. He already promised us we could take it __and go on a two-week cruise. You are going to love it and you can meet Claire and your new stepbrothers then."_

"_What…where…am I going to go at Christmas time?"_

"_I have talked to your school and have already made the arrangements for you to stay there. They said they would be open at Christmas for the boys who won't be going home. There will be a small staff working during the holiday. They are going to have a nice Christmas dinner and be playing movies all day. I am going to send you your presents early. You can open them as soon as you get them if you want. Junior…I am really sorry but I have to go. I have a meeting and I need to get ready for in about an hour. I will call you next month. Love you son."_

"_Goodbye…Dad, I love you…too." Tony's father hung up even before Tony was able to finish his sentence. He stared at the receiver in his hand for a few minutes and then hung it up. He headed outside to his favorite tree where he can have some privacy. Tony wanted to cry but he didn't want anyone to see him. He looked around to make sure nobody saw him as he climbed up. _

_As he sat down on his favorite branch the tears started to flow. He tried to wipe the tears away but he wasn't very successful. A few seconds later, he wasn't surprise to see Tac sitting next to him. He had not seen his purple friend in weeks. Tony had been busy with school and he didn't have much time for his friend anymore._

_Tac tilted his head, "What is wrong Smiley?"_

"_Tac…my father didn't keep his promise again. I wanted him to see my project at the history fair. You know it won first prize? I wanted him to be proud of me. I worked so hard but he didn't come. He claims he was too busy at a meeting. He also told me he met this woman and they are getting married and I am not invited to the wedding. I have to stay here for Christmas while he spends it with his new wife and her two sons. Why does my father do this to me all the time? Why doesn't he care enough about me? He tells me all the time he loves me but I don't believe he really does."_

_Tac smiled sadly, "I don't know my little one. I am not your father and I don't know why he does what he does. But…I will tell you this much; if you were my son I would cherish you with all my heart. I would be around you so much that I would drive you crazy."_

_Tac watched as his child tried to smile but the tears continued to flow down the boy's cheeks. The purple creature wrapped his arms around the boy. He wished he could take away the pain but he knew he couldn't do it. That job belonged to the bastard who calls himself the boy's father. When the tears finally stopped Tony pushed his friend away from him. Green watery eye looked directly into the __dark purple catlike eyes__. "Tac, it is all my…my fault you know? If my father...never keeps...his…promises then I should have known better. Maybe I should stop expecting him to care enough about me to come for a visit. This way he will never hurt me again. I need to stop behaving like a baby and grow up. Besides…my dad is always telling me that DiNozzo men don't cry and I guess it about time I listened to him."_

_Tac didn't know what to say. He just sat there quietly and let the boy continue to rant and rave about his father. Maybe it would help him get it out of his system._

_As the school days passed, Tony started to spend more and more time with his schoolmates. To get their attention he started acting more and more like the school clown. Tony found out that he was very good at making people laugh. Sometimes he would get himself in trouble with one of the teachers but he didn't care anymore. He had a lot of friends and he wasn't lonely anymore. As Tac watched his child change into a different person he realized that he was no longer needed. Tac decided that it was time for him to move on and let Tony make his way in the world. He would continue to stop by every now and then to check on him. No matter what happens Smiley would always be one of his special children…_

**Present Time…**

As far as Tony knew his miniature clay replica of the Pueblo Village was still collecting dust somewhere in the school library. Tony's attention was drawn back to Tac. He could hear him telling Gibbs that there was someone in the village that he needed to see. He signaled them to follow him. As they walked through the village Gibbs and Tony couldn't help but notice that each native would stop what he or she were doing just to watch them walk by. They had not seen human children in their village for a very long time.

It didn't take long for Tac, Gibbs and Tony to reach the center of the village. This area looked like some sort of meeting place. There were rows of stone benches in a circle. In the middle of the circle sat several female natives. Gibbs and Tony followed behind Tac as he headed toward females. When Tac was just a few feet from the women one of them stood up and started talking to him. She spoke in that same language they heard Tac speak when he was talking to the griffin. They wondered who she was to Tac and what she was saying to their friend.

"_Tackdeillseilfjsltleuladkd,__ I am surprised to see you here and that you have brought these human children with you?"_

_Tac smiled, "Do not worry Mother we are not going to stay very long. I just came here because I…we need your help and a place to stay for the night."_

She tilted her head as she studied her son and then turn her head to look at the two human children before she asked_, "What…is this help you are seeking from me?"_

"_Someone from our world has stolen three human children from their families. We are here to find them and bring them back home. I need…"_

She cut him off before he could finished his sentence,_ "Just you and these two little ones are going to rescue those children?"_

Tac smiled,_ "Yes mother…it is just us."_

Tac could tell his mother had her doubts but he also knew she would help them no matter was sure of it. _"Son, what is this help you need from me?"_

"_I need you to help me to try and locate the children? If you can't maybe you can tell me who can?"_

She looked at the two boys_, "What language do these little ones speak?"_

"_English..."_

She walked over to the two boys, "My name is Artemiskdeillseilfjsltleulad kd but you can call me Artemis. I am the leader of this village and the mother to your friend over there. What are your names my little ones?"

"My name is Gibbs and his name is Tony. Your son calls him Smiley."

She reached out and took both their hands in hers. "It is nice to meet you Gibbs and Tony who my son calls Smiley. Come with me children. I know you both must be very hungry and tired. I will make sure your needs are taken care of."

Tac smiled as he watched his mother walk off with his two friends. He could tell from the way she was acting that she already liked the two boys. It was a few seconds later a thought occurred to him that she might decide to keep them. Tac's village had always discouraged their people from keeping human children because they believe human children belong with their own kind. Tac's mother was the leader of the village and he knew from past experiences she could and would change the rules as she saw fit. She was always tricky like that. He took off running to catch up with them to make sure his mother doesn't have any plans for his two friends…

* * *

The next chapter will be posted next Friday.


	4. Chapter 4

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings.

_Warning – This chapter is going to have a cliffhanger at the end of it. Sorry but I had to put one in._

_**Things to remember **_

Smiley is Tac's nickname for Tony.

_**Chapter 4**_

When Tac entered his mother's residence, he found both Gibbs and Tony looking out the big bay window that overlooked the village. Tac smiled because it brought back so many memories when he was growing up. He remembered he use to just sit there for hours and watch as the people of the village went about their daily routines. Sometimes his mother would have to drag him away so he could do his chores. There was even this one time she threatened to have the window removed and a wall put in it place if he didn't get away from it.

Both the humans finally turned and looked at him but it was Tony who smiled and asked, "So…Artemis is your…mommy?"

Tac didn't like the way his child was smiling at him because he knew that smile and he knew his little friend was up to no good. "Yes Smiley…she is my mother and you better not ask her any…"

Tac couldn't finish his sentence because his mother walked into the room with a big tray of fruit, vegetables and some bread for them to eat. She set it down on a table that was about two feet off the floor and surrounded with big pillows. She told them she would be back shortly with something for them to drink. Both Gibbs and Tony sat down and each of them picked up a dark blue banana-looking thing and smelled it. They had never seen anything like it before. It didn't look all that appealing to Gibbs. It was Tony who was fascinate with it and had to ask, "This looks and smells funny…do you think it is safe for us to eat?"

"Yes Smiley…all this food on this tray is safe for human consumption. The fruit is called p'tisk and it's very…very sweet. I have seen human children eat it before and it never made them sick."

Tony watched as Gibbs took another sniff of the p'tisk and then he put it back. He decided to eat the bread instead. Tony smelled the fruit one more time before he took a bite out of it. A couple seconds later, "Little Boss, you really should try this. It's really…really good. It taste just like a cross between a very sweet orange and some dark sweet chocolate."

"DiNozzo, I think I will just stick with the bread for now." The combination Tony had just mentioned didn't intrigue Gibbs what so ever.

Tac's mother returned with some juice for them to drink. She placed a cup next to each of her guest.

Once Tony was finished with the p'tisk, he stood up and walked over to the large bay window and looked out. He stood there for a few minutes and watched as the natives were walking by. After a while he began to move back and forth along the window with his forehead and hands against it. He finally stopped and said, "Hey…little Boss…you should really look at aaaall these little…little purple people down there. They look even little…little littler than you. I feel…feel like I am this biiigggg giant and I have to be careful not to step on them." Tony turned his head and smiled at Gibbs "Little Boss…I am telling you…you should really see this. It's pretty cool. If you put your head against the window like this it almost feels like you are flying above all those lit…little people."

Gibbs looked at Tac and Tac looked at Gibbs. They both realized at the same time that Tony must have gotten too much sugar into his system because he was acting like he was on a sugar rush.

Tac immediately stood up and picked Tony up into his arms and smiled, "No more p'tisk for you my little friend."

Tony giggled at him, "but I like your p…p'isssst and I want some more."

Tac just shook his head and laughed, "I have already told you that you are not getting anymore."

Tac's mother was a little confused and had to ask, "What is wrong with this youngling and what does the p'tisk have to do with it?"

"It seems my little friend here has too much sugar in his system right now and it's because he ate the p'tisk."

"I am sorry but I have never seen it effect a human child like this before. If I had known…I would never have given it to him."

"It's not your fault mother and leave it to my Smiley here to be the first to act this way. It has happened to him before. His system just can't handle too much sugar at one time."

"Will this little one be okay?"

"He will but I am going to have to get him to burn off some of this energy. I will take him and Gibbs to the falls to clean up and maybe after that we will go for a long walk. If we don't he will start trying to climb the walls after a while."

Tac's mother cocked her head and looked even more confused, "Climb the walls? Can human children do that after eating p'tisk?"

Gibbs smiled and answered, "Ma'am…climbing the walls is just an expression we humans like to use. It just means Tony is full of energy and if he doesn't get rid of it he will continue to act this way for a while. It's best we get him to use up the energy and tire him out so we can keep our sanity."

Artemis just looked at Gibbs for a few seconds…there was something about this human child. She couldn't put her finger on it but she noticed the boy was very wise beyond his years but before she could ask him any more questions her attention was drawn back to the other boy.

Tony tried to squirm out of Tac's arms, "I don't want to go and clean up. I want to stay here with your mother. I like your mother she…she is a lot nicer than you." Tony grinned as he touched Tac face, "She might even tell me about what you were like when you were just a little boy." Tony started to giggle even more.

Tac shook his head, "No Smiley you are coming with me now. Gibbs grabbed that small bag for me and let's get going."

"No…no…no I want to stay here. Little Boss, make Tac put me down. I don't want to go. I want...to…stay…HERE."

"DiNozzo…Tac is only trying to help you. Now behave yourself before I give you a head slap."

Tac's mother watched as her son carried the screaming child out the door. Gibbs quietly followed behind them. She had never seen a child have a reaction to food like this and it scared her.

It was a little after dark when Tac finally returned with his two boys. Tac was carrying a sleeping Smiley. Gibbs was walking next to Tac but Artemis could tell the boy was tired and ready for bed. Once they got the two boys settled in bed and sleeping, Tac and his mother went into another room so they could talk in private.

"Will the child be okay now?"

Tac smiled, "He should be back to his normal self when he wakes up."

"Son can I ask you what does little boss mean? I heard your Smiley mention it several times."

"It is just a nickname that he calls Gibbs."

"Gibbs is very wise beyond his years."

Tac smiled and wondered what his mother would really think if she knew the real truth about his two little friends. "Yes…he has always been very precocious. I believe Gibbs is going to be a great leader someday."

"What about Smiley?"

Tac laughed, "I could never see those two separated. They are both very loyal to each other. If Gibbs ever does becomes a leader I believe my Smiley would be his second in command."

"Now about those other children. What are you going to do to get them back?"

Tac looked at his mother. He wasn't sure how she was going to take it when she finds out that he was planning to use his two human friends as bait. Tac was hoping by having Gibbs and Smiley with him it could help him get closer to the ones who had taken the children. He finally took a deep breath and then began to tell her of his plans. He could tell that she didn't like it but she did understood.

Artemis told her son that she would not be able to help him much but she knew of a female named Pashasha who might be able to help. Pashasha was a medicine woman who traveled from village to village mostly in the north and northwest of the village. The medicine woman might be able to tell them if she has seen or heard anything about new human children in the area. Tac's mother did warn him to be careful about some of the natives to the North. They have threatened war if outsiders tried to travel through their land.

It was in the middle of the night when Tony woke up. His stomach was telling him that he needed to go to the bathroom. He knew he probably should not have eaten the p'tisk but it really tasted good. He looked at Gibbs and could tell his boss was still asleep. Tony decided to get up and try to find the bathroom on his own. He had wished he had asked where it was before he went to bed.

As he walked around the apartment looking for the bathroom, his stomach was letting him know that he needed to find it real soon. He knew he wasn't going to be able to hold it much longer. When he couldn't find the bathroom, he decided he would go outside and take care of his business there. As he was walking toward the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Just where do you think you are going little one?"

Tony turned around and saw Tac's mother, "Ma'am…I have to go to the bathroom real bad. I really can't hold it much longer."

Artemis asked out of curiosity, "What is a bathroom and what is it you can't hold?"

Tony's face turned a beet red from embarrassment. "My stomach hurts and I have to relieve myself. You know what goes in has to come out." Tony pointed to his mouth and then to his bottom.

She smiled and nodded when she finally understood what he needed, "Come…I will take you where it is."

When Tony was finished he found Artemis waiting for him. She picked him up and carried him back into the sleeping area and placed him next to the sleeping Gibbs.

She whispered to him so she wouldn't wake up the other boy, "Are you going to be okay? My son said you had too much sugar in your system because you ate the p'tisk."

Tony smiled sleepily at her, "I (yawn) will be fine. I…I want to (yawn) apologize for the way I acted earlier. I am really…"

She smiled, "Hush child, do not worry about it little one. You can't help it if your body reacts that way. My…son has told me how much you two little ones mean to him. He loves you both dearly."

Tony yawned as he started to close his eyes, "Tac (yawn) is a very good friend of ours and we love him too."

She smiled as she wiped the hair off his forehead, "You better get some sleep little one because tomorrow you have a very long journey ahead of you." She stayed there until the boy fell asleep. She reached down and kissed him on the forehead.

As Tac's mother walked out of the room she didn't notice a pair of blue eyes watching her. Gibbs had heard everything she and Tony said. He looked at his sleeping friend. Now that he knew Tony was safe next to him he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep himself.

The next morning, Gibbs woke Tony up and told him to get dressed. They found Tac in the family room talking to his mother. When Artemis saw them she immediately got up and left the room. She returned shortly with some fruit and bread for them to eat before they left. She made sure there was no p'tisk on the tray. She didn't want what happened yesterday to repeat itself.

After breakfast, Tac's mother packed them some food and a few other things for them to take on the trip. She also arranged for one of the village's unicorns to go with them. She knew the trek to the next village would be difficult for the two small boys. They would have to travel on an uphill incline most of the way to the village and she knew it would be too much for them.

As they walked outside, Tac saw Gibbs smile as soon as his blue eyes fell onto unicorn for the first time. Gibbs immediately walked toward the animal and started touching it on the neck, face and its pointed spiral horn. Tac watched as the mythical creature and Gibbs made eye contact with each other. He could tell these two were going to be friends.

Gibbs finally looked at Tac and asked, "What is her name?"

"Zashous…it means little joy in my language."

Gibbs repeated the name and turned in attention back to the animal.

As for Smiley he had always been the complete opposite of Gibbs when it came to animals and children. Smiley chose to stay by his purple friend's side and watch as Gibbs petted the creature. Tac had felt bad for the boy because he knew the reasons why his little friend kept his distance. When Smiley was a child he was never allowed to have any pets and his father rarely took him to any of the DiNozzo family functions so he could have the family experience of being around younger kids and animals. When he grew up he was awkward around them because of it.

Tac's attention turned back to Gibbs and the unicorn. He watched as the animal dropped to its knees so Gibbs could mount it. Once the small boy was on the unicorn's back he grabbed the reins and directed it toward Tac and Tony. Tony took a step back because he wasn't sure if he wanted to get any closer to the animal.

Tac smiled as he reached down to pick Tony up and placed him just behind Gibbs. He then placed their traveling bags and bedrolls on the back of the unicorn. Gibbs handed him the reins so Tac could lead the animal in the direction they were going to be going.

The village they were heading too was at least two hundreds miles to the northwest. Tac could probably make it in a day but he knew it was going to take him much longer with his two human companions. He also knew both Tony and Gibbs would not and could not ride the unicorn all the time. They were going to want to walk some and he knew that was going to slow them down even more.

It was late in the day when Tac decided to stop and setup camp next to a river. He lifted both Gibbs and Tony off the unicorn. As soon as Tony was on the ground he started complaining that his butt was hurting and that he didn't think he could ever be able to sit again. Tac smiled at him because he knew his little friend was never going to change and he really didn't care. He liked Smiley just the way he was.

Tac gave Gibbs a pot and asked him to go get him some water from the river while he gets the campfire started. He was going to make his mother's favorite vegetable soup for them. He smiled as he watched both the unicorn and Smiley following closely behind Gibbs as he headed down to the water.

Tac was just getting the fire started when he heard Smiley yelling his name. He dropped what he was doing and ran toward the river. When he got there the unicorn was nervously pacing back and forth. Smiley was looking frantically into the water. It was at that moment Tac realized his didn't see Gibbs anywhere.

Smiley turned and saw Tac, "It…it tried to get me. Gibbs pushed me out of the way. It took G…Gibbs instead. It came out of the water and grabbed him. I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Tac ran to where Smiley was standing and knelt down next to him. He grabbed the boy's shoulders, "Smiley you need to tell me exactly where it pulled Gibbs in."

"Tac…it grabbed Gibbs so quickly that I couldn't make out what it was. You…you have to do something you can't let Gibbs drown."

Tac knew Smiley wasn't listening and he needed to get through to his emotional distraught friend. So, he began to shake and yell at him to get his attention, "SMILEY…PLEASE TELL ME WHERE EXACTLY WAS GIBBS PULLED INTO THE WATER?"

"There…right there." Tony turned and pointed to a section of the water just a few feet from where he was standing.

Tac grabbed Tony and placed him on top of Zashous' back. He spoke to unicorn in another language and told her to take Tony away from the water. Tac yelled to his human friend, "Smiley you stay on shore and no matter what happens you stay on shore and do not come near this water." Tac then dove into it.

Once they were on shore, Tony sat quietly on the unicorn and just stared at the water. He couldn't believe it was just a few minutes ago he was talking to Gibbs and then something came out of the water and grabbed him. Tony knew Gibbs had been underwater far too long and must have drowned by now if the creature hadn't killed him.

His thoughts turned to Tac. He wondered how long his friend could hold his breath underwater. He continued to watch and hope that Tac was at least still alive. Tony finally saw a bunch of bubbles starting to rise in the center of the river. After a couple of minutes, some of the bubbles seemed to be moving toward him. He wondered if the creature was coming after him. At the moment he didn't really care if it got him. At least he would be with his two friends…

* * *

_Sorry about the cliffhanger but I thought this was be a good place to end the chapter. The next chapter should be up by next Friday or maybe a little sooner. _


	5. Chapter 5

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings.

_**Things to remember **_

Smiley is Tac's nickname for Tony.

_**Chapter 5**_

When the moving bubbles were just about twenty feet from the shoreline Tony saw Tac's head pop up out of the water. As Tac moved closer to the shore Tony could see he was carrying the small lifeless body of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Without saying a word Tac walked past Tony and headed directly toward the campsite. Tony slid off Zashous and followed behind him.

The purple native placed the small body on one of the bedrolls. He bent down and began to breathe air into Gibbs' bluish looking lips. With tears in his eyes Tony tried to tell his purple friend that Gibbs had been under the water too long but Tac wouldn't listen. He pushed his little friend away; he needed to continue to breathe air into Gibb's lifeless body. After a few minutes Gibbs started coughing up water and it wasn't long after that he opened his eyes. Gibbs looked at both Tac and Tony and then finally asked what had happen to him.

Tony was still too upset to say anything so Tac answered his question; "It was a kappa that grabbed you my little friend and dragged you into the water. I did not realize they have come this far north. I am sorry…Gibbs, if I had known I would never have sent you to get the water."

"What is…is (cough) k…kappa (cough)?"

"I have only seen one in my lifetime. They are these nasty little creatures that live mostly in rivers in the southern part of my world. They like to drown and eat younglings but you don't ever have to worry about this one. He will never get his hands a hold of any younglings again. I made sure of that."

Tac studied Gibbs for a minute and knew he was going to be fine. He turned his attention to Smiley and could tell his little friend was still shaken up over what he had witnessed. Tac wanted to help his Smiley but it was getting late and he needed to get the soup started. It was going to get a little cold tonight and he wanted to get something hot in his two little friends before they went to bed. Tac looks back at Gibbs and used his eyes to point toward Tony. He was letting Gibbs know that their friend needed some tender loving care.

Gibbs looked at Tony and found a pair of green eyes staring right back at him, "Tony…you don't need to keep looking at me like that. I am going to be okay."

"Boss…but…I…I saw it grab you. I thought you were dead."

Gibbs sat up and smiled slightly, "Yah…but I'm not dead and I am still here."

"Boss…maybe we should go back?"

Gibbs just stared at his friend for a few seconds and placed both of his hands on Tony's shoulder's and asked, "Tony do you want to be the person that goes back to Earth and tells those parents they will never see their children again?"

Tony felt ashamed for even saying that, "Sorry Boss…We need to find those kids and bring them home."

Gibbs smiled and patted him on cheek, "Good DiNozzo…Now that is settled, let's go see if we can help Tac with the soup. It's a little chilly and I'm getting really hungry."

A couple of hours had passed; everyone was asleep with the exception of Tony. He was still wide-awake and looking up at the sky. To him the sky almost looked like Earth's sky except that this moon was at least twice the size of Earth's moon. Every now and then he would see something that looked like a huge firefly off in the distance. This world had a lot of hidden dangers and he wasn't sure if Tac would always be there to save them in time. Tony didn't really care about himself but he was worried for Gibbs and the children safety. He hoped they could find the kids real soon so they could get the hell out of here.

When morning finally arrived, Tac woke up both Gibbs and Tony. He handed them some fruit. Gibbs took part of his and gave it to Zashous. Tony just sat there watching them and didn't say a word.

After a few minutes Gibbs walked over to Tony and asked him if he was okay.

"Yah…I'm fine…Boss. Just thinking that all."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Tony just shook his head.

Gibbs decided not to push him right now. He was going to give Tony some space and time. "Good, let's go help Tac pack up."

When they were finished packing up everything Tac helped his two little friends on the Zashous' back. He then put all their supplies behind Smiley. Tac took the reins and started walking.

For the next couple of hours Tac and Gibbs couldn't stop sneaking peeks at Tony. They were starting to worry about their little friend because he had not said one word since they started this morning. Normally, he would be whining about everything by now.

As they were heading up a small embankment something huge flew over their heads. It flew by so fast that neither Gibbs nor Tony could make out what it was. Gibbs yelled to Tac, "What the hell was that?"

Tac smiled, "It's a pega."

"What is a pega?"

"On Earth you would call it a Pegasus. We have to be very careful because they usually travel in herds"

Tony asked, "Are you saying they are dangerous?"

Tac shook his head, "No…no they are usually very shy and gentle creatures."

Tony was confused, "If they are not dangerous…then why do we need to be careful?"

Tac had a devilish smile on his face, "I told you they travel in herds."

Gibbs started laughing. He was surprised Tony didn't get it, "DiNozzo…it's because Tac doesn't want us…us to get hit with peg…pega poop when they fly over us."

Tony looked at Gibbs and back as his purple friend. Tac nodded at him. For the first time that day, Tony laughed. He laughed so hard he was in tears. All he could do was picture in his mind Tac and Gibbs being bombarded by pega poop.

When the three had finally stopped laughing, they continued on their journey. They didn't even make it to one mile when Tony had to asked, "Hey little Boss did you ever hear the joke about these male and female statues?"

Gibbs decided to humor his friend, "No DiNozzo I didn't. What about them?"

"Okay…there were these two big statues in this park. One statue was of a male and the other one was a female. They stood on opposite ends of the park for over…I think…maybe a hundred years or so. One day, this fairy comes along and sees the two statues. The fairy decided to give the two statues a gift. "Because you are such lovely statues, I'll give you 30 minutes of life and you can do anything you want," she said. These two statues agreed, and "POOF" they became these real people! They immediately ran into the woods next to the park. The bushes shook and shook. The fairy could hear all these noises and ruckus. The fairy was like real puzzled and was wondering what they were doing. It was about fifteen minutes later; the statues came back looking very satisfied and their hair and clothes were all messed up. Little Boss…the fairy then says, "You know you two still have fifteen minutes of life left" These statues looked at each other and smiled. They ran back into the woods, and the noise started up again. The curious fairy tiptoed nearer so she could eavesdrop. She heard one statue say to the other, "Ok, now you hold the Pegasus down, while I poop on it!"

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh and a few seconds later Tac joined in.

"Little Boss, would you like to hear another one?"

"Sure…DiNozzo why not?"

It was getting late in the day when Tac looked up at the sky. He decided to set up camp next to a nearby stream. He helped his two friends down off the unicorn and watched as Tony just stared at the water. He knew what his friend must have been thinking; "It should be safe to wade in it if you want. The water is not deep enough for anything to hide in it."

Tony moved closer to the water to get a better look. When he was satisfied that nothing could hide in it he bent down to splash some of the water on his face. It felt good so he removed his shoes and began to wade into it. It wasn't much longer when Tac and Gibbs joined him. Gibbs tossed Tony a bar of soap and a cloth. He smiled and said, "You better get some of that stink off you before Zashous throws us both off her back." Tony smiled back and began to wash up. When they were finished they headed back to setup camp. That night Tony managed to get a good night's sleep.

As soon as it was daybreak, Tac woke both Gibbs and Tony up. He gave them some bread to eat and began to pack up their things. It didn't take them long to be on their way.

It was a couple of hours before noon. He helped his two friends off the unicorn so they could stretch their legs for a little. He handed them both some water to drink.

As they were getting ready to leave Tony felt Mother Nature calling him and headed toward the bushes. He told Tac and Gibbs he would be right back. When he was finished with his business he heard the snapping of a branch not too far from him. He turned to look but felt something grab him from behind. He started yelling for Tac and Gibbs as he tried to fight whatever that had him. He could hear Gibbs yell that they were coming. A second later he could see Tac running toward him and yelling something in his native language to something or someone.

Tony heard what sounded like a female voice from behind him.

A few seconds later, Tony was lowered to the ground. He turned to see a female of Tac's species looking down at him. She was smiling.

Tac bent down and picked Tony up and grabbed Gibbs hand. He again spoke to the female in their language.

Gibbs looked up at Tac and asked, "What is she saying?"

The female turned her attention to the boy that spoke and said in English, "I told your guardian here that he should keep a better watch on this little one."

Tac put Tony down next to Gibbs and stood in front of the humans. "He was in no danger at anytime. I knew where he was and I was watching him. I can't help that you did not see me. I can't help it you are not aware of your own surroundings and tried to take my child."

She laughed, "You are right, my name is Pashasha. I am a medicine woman. My village is not to far from here. I would like to know why you are here and with these little ones?"

"My name is Tac and this is Gibbs and Smiley. I am the son of Artemis. She told me you might be able to help me find some other human children."

Pashasha smiled, "You have two children and why do you want more?"

"The children I am looking for are not mine, they were stolen from the humans. I have come to take them back.

She studied the three for a few seconds before she said, "Come with me…to my village. We will talk there."

As they entered the village they noticed it was much smaller than Tac's village. Pashasha's apartment was on the very end. Each of the natives watched as they passed by. Pashasha invited them in. Once they were seated she brought them some fruit and juice made from p'tisk. Tac grabbed the juice before Tony could get his hands on it. "My little friend here has a bad reaction to p'tisk. Can you please bring us some water instead?" She returned shortly with three cups of water for them.

"Artemis is a very good friend of mine. How can I help you?"

"As I said earlier we are trying to locate three missing children and return them to their parents. My mother said you travel a lot. Have you come across any recently acquired human children in any of the villages you have been to?

She sat down and picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite of it. She looked at Tac and then the two small human children. "If I have, how do you plan to get those children back once you find them?"

Tac looked at both his two little friends and then looked at Pashasha. "I planned to use my children here to help me if needed...

* * *

I want to warn you it may take me a couple of weeks to post the next chapter. I have just lost two people in the past two weeks that I cared about. Right now, it is kind of hard to concentrate on this story.


	6. Chapter 6

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

First of all thank you for your kind words while I was going through the loss of a dear friend and a family member. I also want to thank you for taking the time to review the story and add the story to Favorites and Followings.

In this chapter you are going to learn a little more about Tac and his people. I hope you like.

_**Chapter 6**_

Pashasha turned her attention to the two small boys as she took another bite of her fruit. She found it very noble of Artemis' son wanting to help return the stolen human children to their human families but she couldn't imagine in her wildest dream how he was going to accomplish this task with only the help of these two little ones. She thought it was a very strange group of rescuers. She looked at Tac and finally asked, "Just how are you planning to accomplish this with just the help of these two?"

Tac grinned at Pashasha and then turned his attention to the two small humans. Both Gibbs and Tony had remained quiet while the two adults talked. Tac looked at Gibbs but his eyes finally rested on his Smiley. For a few seconds there was some kind of quiet communication going on between the two. Something in Gibbs' gut was telling him that he needed to find out what it was. For now he would keep quiet but he was going to corner DiNozzo later when they were alone and find out what that was all about.

Tony's next action caught Gibbs completely by surprise. He watched as his SFA in the body of a five year old walked over and raised his arms up so his purple friend could lift him onto his lap. Tac looked down at his human child and smiled. He knew his Smiley was now playing his part as a child and he couldn't help but grin. Tac looked at Gibbs and wondered if he was going to do the same thing. Gibbs looked at Tony and back to Tac. He knew what they were expecting him to do but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do it. After a few seconds he finally gave in. He felt stupid as he walked over to Tac and turned so Tac could put him on his other lap. Gibbs looked at Tony and could see the silent laughter in those big green eyes. When they get back to Earth Tony had a lot of head slapping coming to him.

Tac hugged both his two boys and then finally looked at Pashasha; there was something about her that he really liked. He felt he could trust her. He found himself wanting to be as truthful to her as he could without telling her everything. He finally spoke, "I am assuming whoever has taken these children will not be willing to give them up so easy. He will be very protective of the children and will not allow any strangers near them. I plan to use my two little ones as decoys if needed to get closer to the children and if we can get close enough we should be able to get to the children and take them safely back to their families."

"Are you not worried that you may be putting your children in danger of being taken also? You know as well as I do that there are a few of our kind who would not hesitate to take these two if they found them wandering alone by themselves."

Tac looked into her dark purple catlike eyes. There was no smile in his eyes when he finally said, "Yes…you are right I know the risk is there but if you could have seen those parents' faces you would understand why we are here. These people love their children and want them back. It was wrong for whomever it was to have taken these children. I feel it is my responsibility to help bring those little ones back to their loved ones. If I have to use my two children to help accomplish this then it is a chance I…we are willing to take. If something goes wrong and they are taken there will be nothing in this world that will prevent me from getting them back. They are mine and nobody else is going to claim them as theirs."

The female just stared at Tac. She always had mixed emotions when it came to human children living in her world. She believed they belong with their own kind but she also never judged the ones who had brought the unwanted/unloved human children into their world to raise them as their own. She understood their loneliness because she felt it too. Every time she visited one of the villages and saw a human children it reminder her of how barren she was inside. It sometimes angered her that she would never know what it is like to be a mother…

Pashasha looked at Tac and his two little companions. She had never understood the choice he made. He was one of the ones who chose to go to Earth and live among the humans. She didn't envy them because she knew they would have to watch as each one of their precious younglings would grow up and eventually die. She could never bear to even watch one child die. She can still remember what it had done to a friend of hers who had gone to Earth around the same time Tac did. Her friend had returned after a few centuries on Earth. He was never the same after that. It wasn't long before he faded away into the next world.

The medicine woman looked at her houseguest and could see the determination in their faces and knew they were going to do it with or without her help. There was something about them that made her want to help. She finally spoke, "I know of at least several villages to the north and one to the west that have human children but they have been there for a very long time so they could not be the ones you are looking for."

"The children we are looking for would only have been here for a few days."

She shrugged her shoulders, "I am not aware of any new younglings in this area. Why do you think someone from our world would have brought them here and why do you think they would be in this section of our world?"

Tac knew she had legitimate questions that needed to be answered, "Their parents said before the children were taken that each of their little ones had mentioned seeing a purple man hanging around outside of their window. They thought it was only their children's imagination. Pashasha…I was there…I have always had a very keen sense of smell and I could smell that one of our kind had been there. I could also feel…sense these children were no longer on Earth."

"Tac, this world is huge? Why do you think they would be in this section of the world?"

"Pashasha…I know what I am about to tell you is going to sound strange but you know through my mother that I have been on Earth for a very long time. I have a very special bond with human children. I am drawn to all children but I only try and help the ones that need me the most. When I went to the houses of the missing children I knew immediately someone from our world had them and they were no longer on Earth. When I entered our world I could sense their essence. I know the closer I get to them the stronger my senses will become. It's only a matter of time before I know exactly where they are."

Tony turned and looked up at Tac; he was surprised that his purple friend had revealed so much about himself to this female. Tony knew a lot of things about Tac and he also knew his friend kept a lot of secrets to himself...

The female stared at Tac for a few seconds before she finally spoke, "I must warn you there are a few villagers that will not allow outsiders near them. If you try to go there you could start a war. I will help you as much as I can but I will not bring war to my people or any of the villages."

Gibbs who had been quiet finally spoke up, "Ma'am…don't worry we are not here to start any wars. We are only asking you for your help in locating these children so we can return them to their families."

Pashasha stared at the boy for a few seconds. There was something odd about this child and she couldn't seem to put her finger on it. He seemed to be much wiser beyond his years. She looked at Tac and all he did was nod his head in agreement. She turned her attention back to the boy and told him that she would help as much as possible. She stood up and excused herself as she left the room. She returned shortly with several handmade maps and an armful of scrolls. She placed the maps and scrolls on the table. She spread one of the maps out. It was written in markings that Gibbs has never seen before.

Her three visitors could tell from the map that Pashasha had been keeping meticulous information about all her travels. The map had dates, routes and the location of each village and information on each village. She pointed to the map, "I have many more of these. This map alone shows the area to the north of here. There are at least twenty-five villages. These blue numbers next to each village represents how many people lives in the villages. I have put a red number next to the ones that have human children and how many are there. The villages with the circle around them with no numbers represents the villages that do not allow visitors."

Tac studied the map closely; he could tell this map alone covered over two hundred and fifty thousands square miles. It was almost the same size as Texas. He knew it was going to take them a while to visit each of the villages. It was a good thing time had no meaning here.

When Gibbs looked at the map, he couldn't make heads or tails out of the markings but he could tell from Tony's expression that he understood it. He watched as Tony pointed to something on that map that caught the younger boy's attention. "Is this not one of the villages that is unfriendly toward outsiders?"

Pashasha was surprised, "Yes…you can read these markings?"

"Yes…Tac taught me a little. Why do you have a two red mark there? I thought you said they would not allow any outsiders near them. Human children would be outsiders wouldn't they?"

She smiled at the child, "You are very observant little one. The villagers would never allow me to enter their community but I did manage to see two small humans playing near the outskirts of it. As soon as they saw me looking at the children they ordered the two children back into the village and they told to leave the area immediately. I did as I was told and have never been back there since."

It was at that moment a thought occurred to Pashasha, "What if it is someone from one of these villages have taken these children? What are you going to do then?"

Tac didn't get a chance to answer her question because just at that very moment Tony's empty stomach decided to make its self be known to everyone in the room. All Tony could do was grin. Pashasha stood up and went to get the little boy something to eat. Tac lowered the two boys to the floor so they could sit at the table. It wasn't long before Pashasha returned with some food and drinks for them.

A little after dark Pashasha noticed the two human boys were getting ready to fall asleep. Tony could barely keep his eyes open while Gibbs would yawn ever so often. She got up and showed the two boys where they could sleep tonight. After she helped them into the bed, she covered them with a blanket and decided to stay with them until they fell asleep. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

It was almost midnight and Tac and Pashasha were still trying to figure out the best route for them to start the search. Tac kept noticing Pashasha staring at him ever so often. He wondered what she was thinking. It had been a long time since he spent this much time with one of his own kind especially a female and he liked it. Over the centuries he would occasionally bump into one of his people on Earth but most of the time they would avoid each other. Tac found himself enjoying her company more than he thought he would. He couldn't help but notice that she had a beautiful smile.

He grinned at her, "Pashasha, what are you thinking?"

She smiled, "I was just wondering why you made the choice you did. Why didn't you just go to Earth and bring a child back here like the others did?"

"I had thought about it…you don't know how many times I have asked myself that very same question. It would have made it so much easier for me if I had decided to bring a child to this world. I would have loved that child but the biggest drawback I see was that I would only get to know that one child. By choosing the way I did, I chose to be greedy and meet and love as many children as I could."

"But…you had to watch so many of them die? Eventually it will happen to the two little ones you have now."

"Yes, but it is a choice I have made and will make again. All my little ones have been special to me. With their help they made me who I am today."

Pashasha didn't say anything but smile at him. She liked and admired him even more now.

Tac was moving closer to her when he heard a noise. He turned just in time to see Smiley poking his head into the room…

Tony's face turned a little red when he realized he was intruding on something between his friend Tac and the female, "So…sorry…but I was just wondering if I can get something (cough) to drink. I…I am thirsty and my throat tickles just a little. Tony pointed to his throat to emphasize it by coughing some more.

Pashasha patted the cushion between her and Tac and invited the boy to sit down while she went and to get him something to drink. Tony looked at his friend Tac and could tell if looks could kill he would be dead right now. Tony decided to just sit there and stare at the floor. He tried humming but he had to stop because of the tickle in his throat. If it wasn't for the damn tickle he would have went straight back to bed but he knew he couldn't do that because he would keep Gibbs awake with his coughing. At the moment, he felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He continued to stare at the floor but he could feel a pair of eyes staring at him. Tony finally looked up and asked, "So…you like her don't you?"

Tac didn't say anything. He just sat there and stared at him.

Pashasha finally returned with three cups of juice and handed one to Tony and one to Tac. She took a sip out of the third cup, "Don't worry little one, I made sure there was no p'tisk in it."

Tony smiled shyly, "Thank you…ma'am." He continued to feel like he was intruding on something and felt he needed to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. He drank the juice as quickly as he could.

Pashasha sat there and watched the boy. When Tony was finished she offered him some more. Tony put the cup down quickly and started to leave, "No…thanks, I think that hit the spot. I guess I will go back (cough…cough) to bed now. Thanks again."

Just as Tony was trying to leave Pashasha grabbed the boy and put him on her lap. She turned him so they could face each other, "Why are you in such a hurry my little one. I have a question I would like to ask you before you go back to bed?"

Tony's green eyes got really big. He looked over at his purple friend and could see Tac was just as surprised as he was. He turned back and looked at Pashasha and waited for her question.

"You are very young, how long have you known your friend Tac?"

Tony looked at Tac nervously; he hoped his friend has not already given her an answer. Tony lifted three of his fingers like if he was unsure. "This many…I think." He tried to be as vague as possible and hoped that would work.

She smiled at him. "You like being with him."

Tony nodded. "Y…yes…can…can I go back to bed now? (Yawn) I am tired."

Pashasha stared at him for a few seconds and finally decided to put him down on the floor so he could leave, "Go…I will see you in the morning."

Tony ran out of the room and slipped quietly back into the bed. He never felt so uncomfortable in all his life. He was so glad to escape that awkward situation. As he lay there he could sense that his bed companion was wide-awake.

He grinned and turned toward Gibbs, "Little Boss, I would advise you not to go ask for anything right now. It can be a little uncomfortable."

"Yah, why is that DiNozzo?"

Tony smiled even though he knew Gibbs could not see his face, "Let's just say if you go in the room right now our friend Tac and his hot babe might be getting it on."

Tony felt the head slap and yelled out. "OW! Little Boss…all I was trying to do was warn you."

"Shut up DiNozzo and listen to me. I want to know what that eye contact was all about earlier?"

"What are you talking about? What eye contact?"

"I saw that eye contact between Tac and you. I know you both are up to something and I want to know what it is."

"I don't know what you are talking about…Little Boss?"

Tony couldn't see it but he felt Gibbs moving around a little. He heard Gibbs's just above him, "Listen DiNozzo, if I found out there is some kind of agreement going on between you two later, I will head slap both Tac and you all the way back to Earth. Do I make myself clear?"

"Little Boss…Gibbs…I swear there is nothing." Tony hated lying to Gibbs but he knew it was for his own good. "Can we go to sleep now? If I don't get my beauty sleep I am going to be very grumpy in the morning and it's going to be all your fault." It was at that moment Tony felt another head slap before Gibbs lay back down.

"Goodnight, Little Boss…"

* * *

I am hoping to have the next chapter posted by next Friday.


	7. Chapter 7

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. Here is the next chapter I hope you like.

_**Chapter 7**_

The morning sunlight seeped into the room causing Tony to open his eyes. He looked around but didn't see Gibbs anywhere. He put his shoes on and walked into the other room. He was surprised to see Gibbs sitting on Tac's lap. Tac was pointing to several places that they were going to visit. For a few seconds, Tony was at a lost for words. He didn't dare make any funny comments because he found out last night that a seven year old could hit pretty hard. He decided to play it safe and just say, "M…morning."

Both Gibbs and Tac looked at him but it was his purple friend who spoke, "Good morning Smiley. It's about time you woke up. We have everything almost packed. We were just waiting for you to wakeup and Pashasha to return. She should be back any time now. There is some food in the other room. Go get you something to eat before we leave. Remember to stay away from anything purple or dark blue."

"Where is Pashasha?"

"She has gone to get Zashous and two other unicorns to help us on our journey. Once she returns we will finish packing up and head out.

"Is Pashasha going to come with us?"

"Yes…she told me she was coming because she wanted to make sure the three of us stay out of trouble." Tony couldn't help but smile when he saw the sheepish grin on his purple friend's face.

Tony left the room to get himself something to eat. He returned shortly with a piece of bread, a green fruit and some juice. He joined his two friends at the table. Tac gave Tony the Reader's Digest version of their plans. They were going to be traveling by unicorn and on foot. They were going to search the villages to the north first. It will take them two days to travel to the first village. It was a small village but Pashasha knew the villagers and they were good friends of hers. If they knew anything about any new human children in the area she knew they would tell her.

By the time Tony was finished eating, Pashasha returned with the three unicorns. Tac started putting their supplies on the largest of the unicorns. Gibbs walked over to Zashous and gave her a piece of fruit. When she was finished eating it, she lowered herself to her knees so Gibbs could climb up on her.

Tony tried to climb up behind Gibbs but Pashasha grabbed him before he could. "No little one, you are going to be riding your own unicorn. She carried the small boy over to the black and white unicorn. This one is called Tashous. Tony looked at the animal. It was solid black except for the white mane and tail. The unicorn's head was turned toward him and to Tony its eyes looked huge and angry, "Why…why can't I just ride with Gibbs?"

She smiled, "Since we are going on a very long trip I thought it would be best for you to have your own unicorn to ride. Do not worry little one…Tashous if very gentle. It won't be long before you two will be the best of friends."

At the moment, Tony wasn't sure if he believed her or not. The unicorn really didn't look at all friendly toward him. It kept staring at him. The horn was just a little too close for his liking. Tony pushed it away from him. Tony wished he could read animals like Gibbs could because right now Tashous looked really pissed off at him.

The female handed Tony the reins and left him sitting on the unicorn. She walked over to see if Tac needed any help with finishing up the packing. After all most of the stuff was hers. She was taking her herbs, potions, maps and her scrolls. She was bringing them just incase they were needed.

Tony was still sitting on the unicorn. He believed this animal didn't like him. He was so engrossed in watching the unicorn that he didn't notice Gibbs had pulled up next to him until he heard. "DiNozzo, suck it up. Don't be such a baby."

Tony looked at Gibbs and could tell he was enjoying every second of his awkward situation. Gibbs finally felt sorry for him and said, "DiNozzo remember they are just like horses. Just squeeze your legs and signal it to go. Use the reins to guide it." Tony did as he was told and the animal started to move. Both the humans moved their unicorns closer to where the adults were working. Once Tac and Pashasha were finished with the packing they headed out.

They traveled for about three hours before they came to a small river that they were going to have to cross. Tac decided it was time for them to take a break so Smiley and Gibbs could stretch their legs. Tony was surprised when his unicorn lowered itself to its knees so he could get off of it. Gibbs handed him a piece of fruit to give to Tashous. Tony gave it to the animal and it seem to enjoy it.

Both Gibbs and Tony walked over to where Tac and Pashasha stood surveying the river. Tony looked nervously at the water. He still remembers what happen the other day and can't get it out of his mind. He wondered if this river had any hidden monsters. He finally asked, "Is it safe for us to cross?"

Pashasha looked at the boy, "I have crossed this river many times before. The deepest part is only waist deep. We should be able to cross it with no problems." She turned and walked back toward the unicorns.

Tac looked down at his two little friends and knew immediately what Tony was really asking. He bent down and whispered so only they could hear, "Don't worry you two, I have already checked. I do not smell any kappas and I also know this water isn't deep enough for them to live here. You will be safe crossing." Tac could see the relief in their faces.

It was a little later they crossed the narrow river without any problems. Tony felt so relieved once they were on the other side. They continued on their way taking a few breaks before they made camp for the night. Tac removed all their supplies on the unicorn's back. He also removed the unicorns' reins so they could go into the woods to forage for their food.

Tony and Gibbs helped gather the wood, while Pashasha and Tac set up the camp. It wasn't long before Pashasha had a nice stew cooking over the open fire. Tac took the two boys down to the stream to clean up some before they ate. By the time the food was ready to eat, it was completely dark except for the lights from the stars and campfire. When Gibbs and Tony were finished eating they decided to call it a night. It appears humans do not have the same stamina as the natives of this world.

Around midnight Tony woke up. He was cold but he had to go pee really bad. He didn't want to wake Gibbs so he slipped quietly out from under the blanket and headed toward the bushes. When he was finished, he started to head back to where Gibbs was sleeping. It was at that moment he noticed the silhouette figure of Tac sitting on a huge rock by the stream. His friend was looking up at the sky. Tony walked toward him.

Tac could sense his child was near him. He turned around and smiled at him, "It's a beautiful night don't you agree?"

Tony looked up at the sky, he couldn't argue with his friend because the sky of Terrae Antiquos was indeed beautiful. It was so clear. The stars and the moon looked so huge and bright. It almost reminded him of the night he and Gibbs went to Arizona to question that artist woman Dina Risi. He remembered it was the first time he ever slept under the stars. He never told Gibbs that he didn't get much sleep that night. He spent most of the night just staring up at the sky. He never felt so close to God that night…

Tac could see his child was shivering from the cold. He opened up the blanket and invited him to share it with him. Tac lifted Smiley up on his lap and covered him so he would be warm. For the next few minutes they just sat there quietly staring up at the sky. Tony finally noticed something that looked like large fireflies moving toward the bottom area of the moon. He pointed to them and asked. "What are those?"

Tac looked up to see where he was pointing, "In my world they are called Phoenous and on Earth you call them Phoenix."

Tony smiled because he knew the myth behind the bird because it was one of his favorites, "It's the bird that is consumed by fire and then is reborn from its ashes."

Tac couldn't help but laugh, "My sweet child…I have always thought you humans had a great imagination but these birds are not consumed by fire and they do not turn to ash so they can rise from it. These birds just glow like your Earth fireflies or lightning bugs…it's how they attract their mates. If you look closely the blue ones are the females and the bright yellow ones over there are males. After they mate they will both turn a bright green to let the other birds know they have mated and to leave them alone."

If Tac could have seen Smiley's face at that moment he would have seen the disappointment in it. All Tony's life he was thinking the Phoenix was the coolest of all the myths and now he finds out it is just like an earth bug.

Tony continued to stare at the glowing birds for a little while longer before he finally asked, "After…we find those children and bring them home, are you going to come back here and live with Pashasha? I can tell she really likes you and you really like her."

Tac looked down at the head of his little friend, "I will be honest I have been thinking about it a lot. I do like her but I don't know if I can leave my children behind."

Tony turned so he could look up at his friend, "Tac maybe it is time you start to think about yourself and your needs. You have already done enough for the earth children. Maybe it's time you think of yourself."

Tony could see Tac's eyes and they looked so sad, "I…I need my little ones just as much as they need me."

"But…you also need and want Pashasha?"

Tac smiled, "Yes…I do."

Tony didn't envy his friend. He knew after they rescue the children and returned them to their families; Tac was going to have a hard decision to make. Tony loved his purple friend and he wanted nothing more than for Tac to be happy. If Tac wants to be with Pashasha then he should be with her. It was how he felt.

For a while, they remained quiet and just stared up at the sky. It wasn't long before Tony fell asleep. Tac carried him to where Gibbs was sleeping and laid him gently down next to his friend. He smiled at his Smiley and then looked over to the sleeping Pashasha. He wondered what it would be like to live with her…

The next morning after they ate Pashasha and Tony started packing and cleaning up around the campsite while Tac and Gibbs left to round up the unicorns. It was shortly after they returned they packed up their stuff and left. It took them another day and night before they finally reached the first village. They spent a couple of hours there talking with the villagers but nobody knew anything about the missing human children. So, they left and headed to the next village.

The next village was at least one day away. Tony decided to pass his time by telling Pashasha about some of the movies he had seen. At first, the medicine woman had no clue what a movie was so she asked Tony to explain it to her. Tony tried his best to explain it to her but he wasn't sure if he told her right or not. Some of the technology was beyond him. He sure wished McGee or Abby was here.

Gibbs could hear Tony and Pashasha talking behind him. He was enjoying the conversation when his gut started telling him that they were being watched. He looked around but didn't see anything. Gibbs looked at Tac and could tell his friend felt it too. He moved Zashous closer to his purple friend. "What is it?"

Tac looked at Gibbs and whispered because he didn't want whoever was watching them know that they knew, "I feel as if someone or something is watching us. I felt it for the last four miles."

"My gut is telling me the same thing. What do you want to do?"

"You stay here with Pashasha and Smiley and for now don't tell them anything. There is no need to have them worry about a feeling besides I don't want whoever is watching us to get suspicious and take off. I am going to leave for a while and see if I can find who it is." Tac signaled the others that it was time to take a break. He told the three that he was going to look around a little and he would be back shortly. Gibbs watched as Tac disappeared into the woods. They must have waited about ten or fifteen minutes before he finally returned. Tac signaled them that the break was over.

Gibbs moved closer to him, "Did you see whoever it was?"

"No…but I found some tracks and they belong to one of my kind."

Gibbs could see the worried look on his friend's face, "What are you not telling me?"

"He was here."

"Who was here?"

* * *

I just want to warn you it maybe a little after Christmas before I post the next chapter. I am going to be busy with the upcoming holiday. Anyway, I hope everyone has a Great Christmas and that Santa is good to you.


	8. Chapter 8

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. I really appreciate them. Here is the next chapter I hope you like.

_**Chapter 8**_

"Who was here?"

"I remembered his smell...it was the one who took the children."

"Do you think he is still following?"

"No…he is gone for now but I am pretty sure he will be back later with others of his kind." Gibbs could see the worry on Tac's face as he looked back at Pashasha and Tony. He could hear the two laughing at something Pashasha had said. Tac whispered so only Gibbs could hear him, "I noticed another smell. It's a smell I have smelled since the time before I left my world to go to Earth. It is a something you never forget..."

Gibbs was starting to get a little inpatient with his friend, "Tac…do you have a point to this?"

The dark purple catlike eyes looked into his little friend's blue eyes, "Gibbs…there are these tribes of nomads that live in my world. My people choose not to talk about them because they are pure evil. They will pilfer and destroy villages to take what they want and don't care who they hurt nomads are called Windriders because they travel on invisible creatures that can ride on the wind. You do not know they are there until they are on top of you. They are very dangerous."

"Tac…if these Windriders have the children what will they do to them?"

"They may keep them as their pets, slaves or trade them to another nomad tribe. We must find these little ones soon or we may never see them again. The nomads only come out when they want or need something and then they disappear. Nobody in our world has ever been able to find them once they go into hiding."

"Then we have to find them before they do that."

"Gibbs…it won't be that easy, Windriders can become invisible the moment they climb unto their creatures. We will probably not know they are here until they try to grab one of us. We should be safe as long as we stay in heavy foliage areas. The moment we walk into any open areas we will become vulnerable to them. They could take any one of us real easily especially Smiley and you."

Gibbs looked back at Tony and Pashasha and then turned back to Tac. "We will have to let them know."

"We will…but I don't want to do it here. I want to tell them once we setup camp for the night. It will be much safer to do it then. These Windwalkers do not like to travel at night because of the moon; the glare from it will make them visible. If they are going to do anything they will always to it in daylight hours."

It was a little over an hour before nightfall when Tac decided it was time to stop for the night. Tac and Pashasha unpacked the supplies and released the unicorns to go forage for their food. Gibbs and Tony gathered wood while Tac and Pashasha setup camp. It wasn't long before they were sitting around the campfire eating something hot.

Tac looked at Gibbs and then to the others. Finally he says, "Pashasha…Smiley I need you both to listen to me. Earlier we were being followed."

Tony stopped eating and asked immediately, "Do you know who it was?"

Tac nodded as he explained what he knew so far. Pashasha remained quiet while Smiley asked some questions. When he was finally finished she finally spoke, "If Windriders are following us then they want something we have. Tac…they must want your children. We have to turn back now. We cannot put these little ones in jeopardy of being taken."

Tac shook his head, "No…we cannot turn back. The only way we are going to find those children is if we continue on our journey."

Pashasha became angry, "Tac…how can you put your little ones in danger like this? Why not take them back to your mother? She will be able to protect them while we go look for the other children. Her village is big enough to fight back."

"No…we have to take them with us. The Windriders will only come to us if we have something they want. Pashasha…it is the only way."

Pashasha was trying to do everything she could to keep her temper under control. She was having trouble understanding how he could put these sweet little ones in such danger. She still remembers centuries ago when the Windriders destroyed her village. If it hadn't been for her father she would have been taken. He gave his life to save her.

It was Tony who tried to make her understand, "Pashasha, you know we have to do this or we don't we may never find those kids."

"But…why should you have to risk lives to do it? Tac and I can search for the children. You don't'…"

"Yes…we do, because it is our job."

The female cocked her head at the little boy. She couldn't believe what the child had just said, "You are a baby. How can you believe this…this is your job? Did Tac tell you to say that? You should not be thinking this way. You should be home and safe. You should not be putting your lives in danger. It is wrong."

Tony looked at both Gibbs and Tac for help. He can understood her anger because she really didn't know the truth about them. It was Gibbs who moved and stood next to Tony, "Pashasha…listen to me…if anyone can return those children to their parents it will be Tac. He is our friend and we trust him with our lives. If something happens he will do everything he can to make us safe. If one of us manages to get taken we know he will do everything in his power to get us back."

Pashasha looked at Tac and the two boys in disbelief. At the moment she was confused and angry. She knewl Tac loved his children with all his heart but she just couldn't believe him putting them endanger. She shook her head and stood up. "I need to be by myself for a while."

Tony wanted to follow her but Tac stopped him with his hand, "Let her go. She needs some time alone."

"But…what if the Windriders find her?"

"They will not travel at night. She will be safe."

Tony looked in the direction Pashasha had gone. He wanted to go talk with her but he knew Tac was right. Maybe she just needed some time alone.

It was a little after dark, when Pashasha finally returned. She seemed to be in a better mood. She had time to think about it and she knew they were right; if they were ever going to find those children they are going to need some kind of bait to attract Windriders. She just wished it wasn't these two little human boys that she had become very fond of. She sat down next to the fire. She looked at her three companions, "Okay, I am listening? What are the plans?"

"We will change nothing we have done so far. They know we are here and I do not want to let on that we know they are watching. None of our kind has ever been able to find their hideout. So if we can't go to them…we are going to make sure they come to us. We also have to be careful and not let them take Gibbs or Smiley. As long as we stay in a heavy foliage area they will not be able to swoop down and surprise us. If we have to go in a clearing we will have to be especially careful. Maybe we can catch one of them if they get close enough to us."

For the next week nothing happened. They had managed to visit one of the villages but nobody had seen anything of the human children or knew of any Windriders in the area. They headed toward the next village leaving the villagers preparing themselves just incase they were attacked.

It was a couple of days later when they were just a few miles from the next village. The four stood before a huge clearing. Tac looked at the others. He was debating on whether they should cross the clearing now or wait until it gets dark when it will be much safer. If they try to attempt the crossing now there is a strong possibility the Windriders were waiting for them. Gibbs could see Tac was hesitating so he moved Zashous closer to him, "You know we have to do it. It's the only way we are going to find the children. The Windriders either have them or they know where they are. We have to do this."

Tac nodded, "Okay but I want Pashasha to guard you and I will guard Smiley. If they try anything we need to be ready."

"Tac…remember it's a chance we are going to have to take. You know that and so do Tony and I. We can't stop now."

They were halfway across the clearing when Tac heard and could feel the wind picking up. He also caught the smell of the Windwalkers. He turned to warn the others but he was too late. He saw Pashasha being knocked down to the ground and something trying to lift Gibbs off of the unicorn. Tac ran as fast as he could and managed to grab Gibbs and held unto him before he vanished. While he held unto Gibbs he could hear Smiley about hundred feet from him yelling. Smiley was on Tashous trying to make it to the wooded area ahead of them. Tac couldn't do anything because he was still trying to keep Gibbs from being taken.

Pashasha managed to get to her feet. She ran as quickly as she could toward Smiley but she was too late. Tashous stumbled to the ground and Tony was thrown into the air. Within seconds, the small boy vanished before her eyes. As she stood there just staring into the empty space she could hear Gibbs yelling at Tac. She turned to see Gibbs hitting Tac. The boy wanted to know why he had to came and help him when he should have stayed and protected Tony. Tac grabbed Gibbs and held him closely to himself until he could feel Gibbs stop fighting him. Pashasha walked over and put her arms around both of them.

Tac wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at the sky. "We have to get to safety. We cannot stay here longer because they may try to come back to take you." Tac carried Gibbs the rest of the way instead of letting him ride the unicorn. He felt it would be much safer this way.

Once they reached the wooded area, they just sat down and tried to collect their thoughts. Gibbs sat there and stared at Tac. He couldn't bring himself to say anything at the moment. He was having trouble believing that Tony was not with them anymore. Tac finally looked at him and said, "Gibbs…this is how Smiley wanted it. He didn't want…"

For a few seconds, Gibbs just stared at Tac. He wasn't sure if he was hearing him right or. It took him a few seconds but he finally comprehended what Tac was saying. He now realizes what the eye contact between Tac and Tony was all about. He walked toward him and started yelling, "You BASTARD…this was your plan all along wasn't it? I thought you cared about your Smiley? I thought you would protect your Smiley no matter what happens? If you cared so much about him why did you allowed him to be taken like that? You should have stay with him and let them take me instead. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME…"

Gibbs words had hurt him and at that moment Tac couldn't blame him because he felt he had let his Smiley down. Tac stood up and without saying a word he walked away. He kept walking until he came to a river. He sat down and watched as the water moved swiftly by. He shut his eyes and tried to contact his child but at the moment he couldn't sense anything. He thought back to the agreement he had made with his Smiley.

_It was the day after Tac had rescued Gibbs from the Kappa... _

_They had taken a short break. Gibbs was spending his time with Zashous while Tony was just sitting on a log just staring at him. Tac had walked over and sat next to him._

"_Smiley…what is on your mind?"_

_Tony didn't make eye contact with his friend. He just kept staring at Gibbs. "Tac promise me one thing."_

"_What's that my little Smiley?"_

"_If one of us is taken I want it to be me. I want you to promise me."_

"_Why would you say that? I don't plan for either of you to be taken. I will keep you both safe."_

_Tony finally looked at his friend, "You can't make a promise like that. Something can happen and you know one of us might be taken. Tac, I want you to promise me that you will do everything you can to make sure Gibbs is safe. If they do take one of us I want it to be me. Besides…if I am taken you know you will be able to find me with this bond we have. If Gibbs is taken there is no bond and you won't be able to find him. You must promise me."_

_Tac knew his child was right, "I promise my little one."_

"_Thank you."_

Tac continued to watch the water rush by until finally he felt something. He closed his eyes. He could feel and sense his child. At the moment he could feel anger and pain coming from his child. Tac rushed back to tell the others.

_**The Hidden Cave…**_

The last thing Tony remembered was being thrown into the air; he felt someone or something grab him. As he was struggling to get away he felt something go over his mouth and nose. Within seconds he was out. When he finally woke up, he found himself being carried inside a huge cave. He tried to struggle but he was just too small to fight back. The one who was carrying him throw him down on the cave floor in front of the others. They were talking in their native language. Tony understood some of it but he now wished he had paid more attention when Tac was trying to teach him his language. One of the natives lifted him up by his armpits and studied him for a few seconds until he finally asked in English. "What is your name human?"

At first Tony refused to answer him. He knew it was going to make the native mad but he didn't care. The native put Tony down on the ground and used his hand to backslap him across the face. "Now tell me little one what is your name or I will hit you until I get an answer."

Tony slowly wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "Smiley…my name is Smiley." Tony decided to give them the name Tac uses for him.

"Smiley…my name is Boldek. I am the leader of the Windriders. I know your guardians treated you like you were something special but here you are nothing more than a pet or slave to me. You do my bidding or you will be punished when you don't."

Tony felt someone come up behind him and roughly place a collar around his neck. He was picked up and carried into another room of the cave. He was dropped on the floor and left to himself or at least he thought he was. As he was getting up he heard a noise and turned around. He was surprised to see ten little children huddling together in a corner. They were collared just like he was. He recognized three of them as the stolen kids as they ones they were looking for. He wasn't sure who the rest of them were.

Tony moved closer to where the kids were and introduced himself. The kids seemed to be to scare to say anything so Tony decided to try something different. He called the three children he knew by their names.

The little red headed boy asked, "How…how do you know my name?"

Tony didn't want to tell them the truth about himself because he wasn't sure how much he could trust them. He was afraid they might accidently say something to the wrong people and let out his secret. "I just heard about you that is all. Are you all okay?"

They all nodded. Tony smiled, "Good…Okay I have already told you my name is Smiley and I know the names of you three here. So…how about the rest of you telling me your name?"

Tony spent the next half an hour getting to know who the children were. He found out beside the three children they had looked for that there were five more children who had been stolen recently from their families. The last two children had lived with the nomads for a very long time. He was worried about these two. He wondered how loyal they were to the nomads.

It wasn't long after two of the female nomads walked into the room. They ordered the children to go into the main room of the cave. Since Tony was the newest child, one of the women grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the main room. Tony looked around and saw about thirty of the nomads. They were sitting around talking and laughing. Tony was made to sit down next to Boldek. He was told to watch the other children so he will know how to behave.

The children began helping to serve the food and drinks. He watched as the little girl named Mary went around and began filling their cups with some kind of orange liquid. It was a few minutes later she accidentally spilled some of the liquid on the ground. One of the female nomads walked over and was getting ready to slap her when Tony stood up and yelled for her to stop. Everyone in the cave turned around and looked at him because they never had a child do that.

Boldek was the only one who spoke. "You are not to interfere when someone is being disciplined or you will take their punishment."

Tony didn't back down. "Then punish me instead."

Boldek looked at the girl and then back at the boy and grinned. "If that is what you want? Shesha do as he asked."

The woman walked over and hit him so hard he fell to the ground. She turned and ordered Mary to get back to work. Everyone went back to what they were doing.

Boldek looked at the boy still lying on the ground. "You will stay here with me until the children are finished serving us. After you will watch them eat and then you will go back with them to the other room and stay there until we need you. Since you are being punished you will not have any food today."

The room barely had any light in it and it was very cold. Most of the kids were huddled together with blankets to stay warm. Tony was by himself. One of the women had given him a blanket to cover up with. His face was sore and he could tell it was slightly swollen. He knew once the swelling goes down it was going to be black and blue. His stomach was also letting him know it wanted food. He knew there was nothing he could do at it. So, he decided to try to get some sleep.

It was about a few seconds later when one of the boys who had been living with the nomads for a long time crawled over to where he was. The boy just looked at his face and almost reached out to touch it but stopped himself.

"It…it looks like it really hurts. Are…are you okay?"

"Yah, I will be okay. Let's see if I remember your name right, its Pam…Pamphilus**.**"

The boy nodded and whispered so the other children wouldn't hear him, "Why…why did you do it? Why did you take Mary's punishment?"

Tony looked at the boy and could see he was confused, "I didn't want them to hurt her."

"But…but she spilled their drink. It was her fault. She deserved to be punished not you."

"It was just an accident. She didn't deserve to be hit."

"What is an ac…ci…dent?"

"It's something that you didn't mean to happen but it does. You shouldn't be punished for it."

"The master does not believe in accidents." The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of bread. He handed it to Tony. "I am sorry but this is all I could get for you. They watch us all the time." The boy crawled back to where the other kids were.

The next morning, the nomads packed up and left...

* * *

Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New.


	9. Chapter 9

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

As always I want to thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings.

Here is the next chapter and I hope you like it.

Warning: In this chapter it is not going to be a good time for Tony.

_**Chapter 9**_

They had traveled most of the night without saying a single word to each other. Tac and Pashasha had taken only two short breaks while Gibbs tried to catch as much sleep as he could while riding on the back of the unicorn. All three were worried if they didn't find thier missing friend soon they would never see him again.

It was just a few hours after daybreak when Tac finally stopped and looked around. It was as if he was searching for something. Both Pashasha and Gibbs noticed and moved closer to him, "What is it? Has something happen to Tony?"

Tac signaled them both to keep quiet as he closed his eyes. He was trying to concentrate and he didn't want anyone distracting him. A few seconds later he opened his eyes and looked at both of his companions. "I can barely feel my Smiley anymore. The Windriders must be moving…"

_**The Cave….**_

It didn't take them long to move to their newest location. The entrance to the cave was well hidden high in the mountains. They knew they would be safe here because no one would be foolish enough to attempt to come anywhere near it. The winds were just too strong and only the Windriders knew how to navigate safely through them.

The Windriders carried the children inside the cave so they would not be blown away. The little ones were told to sit quietly against the back wall and stay out of everyone's way. As Tony sits there he couldn't help but notice how strong and loud the winds continued inside the cave. He had hoped they would die down once they were inside but it didn't. Tony covered his ears and hoped they were going to head deeper inside the cave once they were finished bringing everything inside. He was surprised when a few seconds later, Boldek walked into the cave carrying a bag. He opened the bag and pulled out a glowing blue globe. The leader closed his eyes and the blue globe began to glow even stronger. Within seconds the winds and noise were gone. Boldek put it back inside the bag. The only thing Tony could hear now was the movement made by the natives, as they move around the cave and unpacked their stuff.

While everyone was unpacking, Boldek decided it was time for him to go check out the valley below. He had not been here in centuries and wondered if the two villages in the valley were still here. While he was gone, he left Shesha in charge. She ordered the two oldest boys to help with the unpacking and the rest of the children to stay where they were.

Tony had nothing to do but sit there and watch. He tried to talk to the children but they would not even make eye contact with him. They seemed to be too scared that he might cause them to get into trouble if they were caught talking to him. Even the little girl Mary who he kept from being hit yesterday wouldn't even make eye contact with him. So with nothing to do, he just sat there quietly and watched as the others unpacked.

A few hours later Boldek returned. He called everyone together and told them about what he found. The two villages were still there and they seemed to be very well off. He saw large market places with all kinds of food, jewelry and artifacts. He told them he wanted to raid one of the villages in the next couple of days. Everyone was excited because they knew after the raid they would party.

Most natives of Terrae Antiquos were vegetarians but not these nomads. They like meat and needed to get some. Boldek took two males with him to go hunting. They returned a few hours later with some kind of animal meat they had skinned and cut up into sizeable pieces. Shesha and a couple of the females began to prepare the food while the older children walked around and served the drinks. When the food was ready the nomads ate first. Once they were finished the older children ate and then brought the leftovers to the younger children. Because of what happened yesterday, Tony was not allowed to eat and drink anything until Boldek told him he could.

Tony's stomach kept reminding him how hungry he was. He knew he was going to have to wait and he also knew the leader wanted to make sure he learned his lesson from yesterday. Tony finally gave up thinking about food and turned his attention back to the nomadic group. He watched and listened as they sat around and talked. They didn't know he knew a little about their language and he was able to pick up the words raid and village. He wished he could warn the villagers.

As Tony watched the older children refilling the nomads' drinks, he was unaware that he was being watched. Every now and then, Boldek would look over at his newest possession, he was curious about this boy and the other three he was with. He wondered who they were and where they were going. It was very unusual for anyone in his world to have more than one human child with them. He had wanted to take both children but it didn't go as he planned. He didn't expect the male to be so fast. Boldek made the decision that he wasn't going to go back and get the other one. He knew they would be aware of them now and would probably hide in the foliage and make it hard for them.

Boldek turned his attention back to the child with the bruised face. This child was so different from any other human child he has ever met. Even after he hit him he saw the deviancy still in those big green eyes. He knew this child was going to be a challenge to train and he knew he was going to have fun breaking him.

_**Millenniums ago…**_

_Boldek had gone to Earth like so many others of his kind. He didn't stay long because he hated the place and the people. He missed his world and decided to go back home. Before he left he stole several human children and brought them back with him. Once he was home, he found a village and traded the children for a __glowing blue globe__. At the time he wasn't sure exactly what it was but he was promised it had magic. It wasn't shortly after that he joined a nomadic tribe. Someone in the tribe recognized what the globe was and tried to steal it from him. Before he killed the thief he made him tell him what it was. The thief told him the blue globe would give you the ability to manipulate things with your mind. It was a little after that Boldek became the leader of the nomads._

Boldek took another sip of his drink. He decided it was time to have some fun. He called out to the boy, "Smiley are you thirsty and hungry? Would you like something to drink and eat?"

Tony just nodded.

"Good…I want you to come over here."

Tony stood up and slowly walked toward him.

The leader smiled and held out his cup, "You will drink from my cup."

Boldek saw the hesitation and grinned. He knew this boy's weakness, "If you disobey me I will punish Mary and you wouldn't want me to do that now would you?"

Tony moved closer to the cup and put his hands around it. He took a quick sniff of it and almost gagged. He really didn't want to drink it and looked over at Mary. He could see the fear in her eyes. He looked back at the cup and slowly took a sip of the drink. He didn't recognize the fermented juice because it was very pungent. He hoped there was no p'tisk in it. It was all he needed now was to have a sugar high in front of this group. He tried to hand it back to Boldek but the leader told him to finish the drink. Tony did as he was told.

Once Tony was finished, Boldek ordered the boy to his knees. He handed him a piece of meat and ordered him to eat it. Again Tony sniffed it and could tell it was very hot and spicy. Tony bit down into it and almost gagged as he swallows it. He hoped he could keep it down. It was a few minutes later; Tony's stomach let him know that it didn't like what he had just ate. He looked around the cave and saw a spot away from everyone. He covered his mouth, stood up and ran toward it. Within seconds his stomach emptied every thing he had drunk and eaten. As he turned around he could hear laughter coming from everyone. Boldek ordered him to come back and sat down next to him. Tony felt very light-headed as he walked back to Boldek and within seconds he passed out.

_**The Village…**_

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived at the village. Tac and Gibbs waited on the outskirts while Pashasha went to talk with the leader. She had known him for a long time and knew he did not like strangers. She explained to him why they were there and it wasn't long before they were invited in. A little later they met with the elders of the village. Both Pashasha and Tac warned them about the Windriders and they needed to prepare themselves for an attack. Pashasha ask that they send a messenger to the next village to warn them of the danger.

Pashasha, Tac and Gibbs were given a place to sleep for the night. It wasn't long before Tac started to pace. Something was wrong with his child and he could feel it. Before Gibbs could ask what is wrong, Tac passed out…

* * *

I will try to post the next chapter by next week.


	10. Chapter 10

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

As always thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings.

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like?

_**Chapter 10**_

_**High Up In The Mountains…**_

When Tony woke up both his head and stomach were hurting. When he tried to look around he noticed he was in another room in the cave. He had no clue how long he had been there or how he even got there. He didn't remember seeing any other openings when they were in the main cave except for the entrance. As he continued to look around he finally noticed he was covered with a blanket and lying in the middle of a group of sleeping children. He smiled at the thought of these little ones were trying to keep him warm.

It wasn't much longer before he felt like he had to throw up. As he tried to stand up without waking the other children he lost his balance and fell back down. When he tried to stand up again, he was surprised to see two small hands reach down to help him. Once he was finally on his feet he could see the hands belong to Pamphilus and Mary. Each one of the children grabbed one of his arms and helped him to walk over the sleeping children and then to the far side of the room. They helped him to sit down on a rock and a few seconds later they left him alone.

As he was emptying what little he had left in his stomach, he had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He looked around but could not see anyone. It was a few seconds later Mary and Pamphilus returned. The little girl was carrying a cup of water and wet cloth. The boy was carrying a blanket and some bread.

The little girl sat down next to him. She looked really worried, "Smiley…are…are you going to be okay?"

Tony gave her a big smile and nodded. "Don't worry about me, I…I'll be fine. Just give me a few more minutes and I…I promise you I will be fine."

The little girl looked at the mess on the cave floor and looked back at him, "Please…please don't be mad at me. I am really sorry you were punished because of me."

Tony gave the little girl his biggest smile. He had thought about telling her that apologizes were a sign of weakness but he knew the little girl wouldn't understand so he just said, "Listen Mary…I am not mad at you and I could never be made at you. It wasn't your fault. What happened was just an accident and you shouldn't blame yourself for it."

He watched, as the worried look disappeared from her face. She shyly smiled at him as she handed him a wet cloth. He used it to wipe his face. When he was finished she handed him the cup of water. He could tell she looked relieved to know that he wasn't mad at her. Tony couldn't help but smile back at her as he took a couple of sips of water.

Pamphilus wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. He then handed him two pieces of bread, "I…I managed to get these for you. You should try to eat them. It might help ease the pain in your stomach."

Tony thanked the boy and took a couple of bites from the bread. He wasn't sure if he could keep what he just ate down. He decided to put the rest in his pocket until later. As he was sitting there looking at the two kids he was puzzled about something so he had to ask, "How can you both eat and drink what they gave us without it bothering your stomach?"

Pamphilus shook his head, "We didn't…the master likes his food and drink very…very hot and spicy. He always keeps extra spices for himself and adds it to whatever he drinks or eats. The master…also likes to use the spices to punish us when we do not do as he says. Smiley…you have to obey him or you could die."

Tony smiled at the two children and said jokingly. "Well, you don't havvee to (yawn) worry about me. I have no (yawn) choice now, if I don't do as he says he will punish you and I can't let that happen now can I?"

He could tell from their expression that they didn't really believe him.

As Tony sat there, he finally realized how tired he was and that he needed to lie back down. The two children helped him back to where the other kids were and covered him with the blanket. Pamphilus and Mary then lay down next to him to make sure he stayed warm.

As he started to close his eyes he thought he heard Tac's voice in his head. His friend was telling him everything was going to be all right and that they were close by. As Tony drifted off to sleep he wondered if he was just dreaming it…

_**Somewhere In The Valley Below…**_

Gibbs was standing next to Pashasha as he was looking down at their unconscious friend, "Do you think Tac is going to be okay?"

A confused Pashasha just kept shaking her head, "I don't know, I have never seen this happen to my kind before. Gibbs…you say humans do this all the time? How long does it usually take for a human to wake back up?"

Before Gibbs could open his mouth to reply, Tac opened his eyes and sat up, "I want you to know for your information, I did not pass out."

It almost reminded Gibbs of Tony when he denies that DiNozzo men do not pass out. "Okay, if you didn't pass out…then what the hell would you call it?"

Tac moved his face within inches of Gibbs, "You know it was all Smiley's fault? I made contact with him at the very moment he passed out and I just happened to get caught up in it. So, you see…I did not pass out. Smiley did."

Gibbs didn't really care about Tac at the moment. His concerned was for DiNozzo, "You said he passed out. Do you know why he passed out?"

"Our Smiley has this uncanny knack to piss people off."

Gibbs was almost afraid to ask, "Who?"

"It seems our Smiley somehow managed to make the leader of the Windriders angry. The leader made him eat something that his stomach did not agree with and he passed out the same time I was trying to make contact with him."

"Do you know if he is going to be okay?"

"Right now, he is unconscious. I won't know anything until he wakes up."

"Do you know where he is?"

Tac smiled, "Yes, I do know where he is."

Gibbs' patience was starting to wear a little thin, "Well, are you going to tell me or do I have to go and find him myself?"

Tac made a face and stood up. He walked over to the window and pointed. "Our Smiley is inside a cave in the tallest mountain peak. I also know the children we are looking for are there too."

Gibbs moved closer to the window and looked to see where Tac was pointing. There was a huge mountain range far off in the distance. Tac was pointing to the tallest one. It looked like it might be the size of Earth's Mt. Everest or even higher. Gibbs had climbed several mountains in his lifetime but never one this high. "It's going to take us several days just to travel to it."

Pashasha moved closer to the window, "I will go see Marqui, maybe he can tell us if there are some griffins in the area. We could use them to fly us up there. It will save us a lot of time."

Just as she spoke his name her friend walked into the room, "Pashasha…I am sorry but griffins cannot fly that high or handle the winds at the top of that mountain. They are too strong and only the Windriders can navigate through them safely."

"Marqui…is there any other way we could get to the cave? The children we are looking for are up there and we need to get to them."

The leader didn't say a word but stared at his guest for a few seconds. These three had arrived yesterday with very disturbing news. They had warned him of the impending attack from the Windriders. Now, thanks to them, everyone in his village and the neighboring villages are or will be prepared for any attacks. He still can remember the last time the nomads had come through the valley and the destruction they left behind. He didn't want to see that ever happen again. So, he decided to send several messengers to warn all the other villages in the valley and a little beyond it. He wasn't sure when the Windriders will attack but he knew it was just a matter of time.

He looked at Pashasha, he had known her for many centuries and considered her a trusted friend but he didn't know anything about the other two. He stared at them a little while longer before he finally made his decision. He signaled the three to sit down.

Once they were seated he began to speak. "There is another way to get up to the cave…but you must promise never to let anyone outside of this village know about it. It is a secret my village has kept for centuries. Inside the mountain there is a passageway that will take you all the way up to the peak."

Tac spoke, "It will take us days to climb the passageway and by then the Windriders will be gone and they will take the children with them."

Marqui shook his head; "No…we can ride griffins to the mountain. They can get us to the mountain in a few…"

This time Gibbs cut into the conversation, "But it will still take us days to climb up the insides of that mountain."

Marqui was getting a little annoyed at the interruptions but he did understand their concerns. "Please let me finish, many…many centuries ago, one of the villagers decided to go to Earth. While she was there, she became aware of some Earth creatures that were almost hunted to extinction. She managed to bring a few of them back here to save them. They have been living in our mountains ever since. They are very…very shy, so we have been keeping their existence a secret. I have spent some time with them over the years. They know the ins and out of the mountain. They can get us to the top of the mountain top within hours."

Gibbs was curious, "What are they called?"

"I was told they have several names Sasquatch, Bigfoot or Yeti."

Gibbs was surprised because he had always thought they were just an Earth myth. He wondered if they would be willing to help once they found out that human children were involved. He had to ask, "Do you think they will help us?"

"I think they will if we ask them. We can leave tonight."

"What do you mean by we?"

"I have to go with you. You will not get anywhere near them without me. I will send a couple of my people to get the griffins. We have to leave tonight so we can make sure the Windriders do not see us..."

_**Back Inside The Cave…**_

The next time Tony woke up, he found himself alone in the room. He wondered where the other children were and if they were okay. As he tried to stand up he had this strange feeling that he was being watched. He looked around but didn't see anyone. He could hear voices coming from the other room but he could not make out what they were saying. He moved closer to the opening so he could hear what they were saying.

Once he was close enough, he could hear Boldek talking about his plans for a raid on one of the villages. Tony heard a noise directly behind him and turned his head to see what it was but he couldn't see anything. He was now beginning to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him. He turned his attention back to trying to hear what Boldek was talking about when he heard someone walking toward the opening. He headed back to where he had been sleeping and quickly lay down. He closed his eyes and pretended he was still asleep. A few seconds later, he felt someone kicking his feet. It was Shesha and she didn't seem to be in a good mood, "Wake up…Boldek wants you in there with the rest of us."

Tony rubbed his eyes and pretended he was trying to wake up. When he didn't move fast enough for Shesha she pulled him up by one arm and dragged him into the other room. She forced him to kneel down in front of Boldek. He looked up to see a very angry leader and he wonder what he did wrong this time…


	11. Chapter 11

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

_As always thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings._

_Here is the next chapter I hope you like._

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Down in the Valley…**_

It was just a few minutes before nightfall and the moon was already starting to peek just above the mountaintop. Gibbs watched as three huge griffins landed in the field not too far from where they were standing. He saw Marqui mount one of creatures and then turn to look at him with disapproval eyes and he knew why. Earlier Gibbs had overheard the village leader telling Tac that the human boy should stay behind because it was too dangerous. Tac shook his head and told Marqui that his child was coming no matter what. He was glad his purple friend had left no room for any argument about him coming with them. There was no way he was going to stay behind while Tony and those kids were in danger.

Gibbs turned his attention back to his two friends. Pashasha had already mounted her griffin and Tac was standing next his. He signaled Gibb to come over to where he was so he can help him up on the griffin. Once Gibbs was on the griffin Tac hopped up right behind him. Within seconds they were flying over the top of the trees and heading toward the mountains. At the speed they were going it shouldn't take them long to reached cave where the Sasquatches live.

_**High up inside the mountain…**_

The group of thieves had spent the last few hours going over their plans for the attack on the village in the morning. Everyone was all excited and couldn't wait. They eventually broke off in their own little groups to eat, drink and talk about old times.

Boldek stood there and observed his group. He wished he could be more like them but he wasn't. He hated waiting around and needed something to do to distract him. He looked around the room and notice one of the children were missing. He yelled to Shesha and asked her where the child was.

"I left him in the other room because he was too sick to help with the serving."

"I do not care if he is sick or not. Go get him and bring him here."

Shesha went to fetch the child. It didn't take her long to return with the boy. She forced the boy down on his knees in front of Boldek. She then headed back to her little group of friends to continue her conversation with them.

The nomad leader just stood there for a few seconds and stared at the boy. He hated humans because he considered them to be a very weak race of beings. The only reason he even went to Earth was to steal a few younglings. He knew he could trade them to get things he wanted. He did this for centuries.

As the nomad leader continued to look down at the child he could see the bruising left from where Shesha had hit him. He could also see dark circles starting to form under the boy's eyes. This human child was weak but he could still see the defiance look in those big green eyes. He wondered just how much more this little one could take. He looked at the entrance to the cave and could tell he had a lot of time on his hand. He turned his attention back to the boy. He decided he was going to occupy his time by seeing how much this boy could take.

He reached down and picked up his drink and handed it to the boy.

"You will drink this."

_**At the base of the mountian…**_

As soon as the griffins landed, Marqui hopped off his animal and signaled the others to follow him. They were going to have to travel the rest of the way by foot. Tac decided to carry Gibbs because there was no way the human boy would to be able to keep up with the rest of them.

It didn't take them long to reach the entrance to the cave. Once they were inside Gibbs was surprised to see it was very well lit. Instead of torches there were globes of lights every twenty feet or so. Marqui asked them to stay where they where while he went to find and talk with the leader of the Sasquatches.

While they were waiting both Pashasha and Gibbs could tell something was bothering Tac. Gibbs moved closer to his friend, "What is wrong?"

Tac shook his head, "I can sense Smiley's pain and fear. We need to get up there."

Before Gibbs could ask any other questions Marqui returned with three very tall Sasquatches. The tallest was covered with blond hair while the other two were different shades of brown hair. Marqui turned to introduce them, "This is Hania the leader and his two brothers Achak and Akecheta. They have agreed to help us rescue the children."

Tac spoke, "I am sorry to cut the introductions short but I can sense my child and he is in danger. We need to get up there now."

Gibbs was surprised when Hania turned around and said something in another language to his two brothers. The brothers nodded and then left.

The Sasquatch turned his attention back to his company and spoke in English; "We will get you all up there as quickly as possible. I sent my brothers to alert the others. They will have everything ready by the time we get there. Right now we need to hurry. We can talk later when we have time."

Hania then turned and started heading back toward the direction he came. It was a good thing Tac was carrying Gibbs because he found himself having trouble keeping up with the big guy.

As they traveled through the cave tunnel, every now and then they would come across a room. When Gibbs looked inside he was amazed to see equipment that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. It made him realize for the first time that humans are not the highest intelligent being living on Earth. He also couldn't help but think Abby would love this place and it's people if she every got to see it.

It didn't take them long to reach the center of the mountain. As they entered the area ahead they saw rows of what looked like elevators. Some were going up while others were coming down.

There was one elevator car waiting for them. Once they were inside, Hania turned around to face them, "We will have to take a total of twelve cars to the top. These cars will travel at a very fast rate up the mountain. We should arrive a little before dawn."

Tac was worried as he looked up the elevator's shaft. He continued to sense pain and fear coming from his child. He tried to contact Smiley to let him know they were coming but Smiley was in too much pain at the moment. Tac made a promise to himself that he was going to kill the bastard who was hurting his Smiley.

Hania pulled the lever and they started to ascend at a very high rate. The Sasquatch looked down at his passengers, "We have been aware of the strangers at the top of the mountain for a almost two days now. Several of my brothers have been watching them to make sure they did not find our tunnels. They have seen at least eleven human children with them."

Pashasha looked surprised, "Eleven? We were only aware of four children."

Tac looked at her, "They have either taken the rest from Earth or from the villages they have raided. Either way it doesn't matter we are going to rescue all the children."

Gibbs looked at Hania and had to ask, "Are the children okay?"

"I was told they are well except for one of them. He has dark coloring on his face and he was very sick last night."

Both Gibbs and Tac knew immediately which child it was. They could only hope they arrived there in time.

They spent the next few hours traveling in the elevator only stopping to take the next one up. The last elevator car finally came to a complete stop. The passengers disembark. They were going to have to walk the rest of the way up. The closer they got to their destination the more Tac could sense unbearable pain coming from his child. He put Gibbs down and started to head up to where he knew his Smiley was but Hania stopped him. "You are not the only one who can sense his pain. You cannot go to him right now. You have to stay here with us. If you go charging up there you could put the other children in danger including his."

Tac didn't look at him, he just kept staring in the direction he knew he child was.

Hania continued, "My brother has told me the rest of the children are sleeping in a separate room right now. We can go in there and get them first. After that…we will rescue your child and make sure the nomads will never hurt anyone again."

Tac just nodded because he knew it would be what Smiley would want. "Okay, let's get the children. After that, that bastard who is hurting my child is mine."

Hania just nodded.

When they finally arrived at their destination, they were only a few hundred feet from the opening to the cave room were the children were sleeping. Since they didn't want to scare the children to death, they decided to send the boy Gibbs in first. He was going to wake up each of the children and led them back to the group. Once they had them all Pashasha would take them down to the lower levels to safety. The rest would deal with the nomads.

When Gibbs entered the cave room he found the children sleeping next to each other. He was a little worried if he tried to wake up one child maybe another one would wake up and see him and start yelling. He was going to have to be very careful. The first child Gibbs woke up was a little girl. When she opened her eyes, he whispered to her that she was safe and to keep quiet and follow him. He took her back to where the others were waiting. He continued to do this until there were only two children left. When he went back into the room to get the last two children they were gone. He looked around the room but didn't see them. As he was heading back to warn the others, he felt someone grab him from behind and turn him around.

It was Shesha, "Who are you and where are the rest of the children?"

Gibbs just looked at her and didn't say a word. He knew he had been caught and he wasn't going to give anything away. She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the other room and ordered the two other children to follow her.

Once they were inside the other room, Gibbs was pushed down on his knees.

Bolded looked at her puzzled, "Where did this one come from?"

"I do not know. When I went in to check on the children only Pamphilus and

Galenus and this boy were in there. The others are gone."

Boldek looked at Gibbs and asked in anger, "I demand to know who you are?"

Gibbs didn't say anything because at that very moment he spotted Tony. The younger boy was lying on the ground in a fetal position not too far from him. Gibbs couldn't tell if Tony was alive or dead. He wanted to run to him but knew he couldn't.

Boldek turned his head to see what Gibbs was looking at. It was then he realized who the boy was and smiled. "Now…I know who you are. Where are your friends and my children?"

Boldek turned as he heard noises coming from behind him. He was surprised to see some very tall hairy looking creatures running into the cave room. He also saw three of his own kind entering with them. One of the males was heading his way. He picked Gibbs up and grabbed his head with one hand and yelled, "If you come near me and I will break your child's neck."

Gibbs tried to tell Tac to kill the bastard but he couldn't make a sound.

Tac immediately stopped in his tracks. He knew if he got any closer that bastard would kill Gibbs. He couldn't let that happen because like Tony, Gibbs meant a lot to him.

Boldek tried to keep his eyes on Tac as he quickly looked around the cave. He knew there was nothing he could do to help his people or them help him. They were too busy fighting for their lives. They were in no way a match for these tall creatures. These creatures were going to make sure none of them escape.

Boldek looked back at his adversary. "You will let me leave or I promise you I will kill this child just like I did with your other one."

Tac saw Smiley lying on the floor. He could sense his child was still alive but barely. He needed to get him help but he also needed to get Gibbs away from the nomad. Tac and Boldek were both at a standstill for the moment. Each waiting to see what the other one was going to do…


	12. Chapter 12

**Return to the Innocence**

By Glow60

_As always thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. _

_Warning: I promise you this chapter is not a deathfic even though it might seem to be at first. I would not do that to Tac and our two little heroes. I happen to like them too much. _

_**Chapter 12**_

Gibbs knew he had just seconds to live and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it from happening. He had tried earlier to break away from the nomad leader but his small body wasn't strong enough. With all the years of marine defense training he never felt so weak and helpless. Now all he could do is hope that his purple friend can figure a way to free him. Gibbs could see both anger and worry in those dark purple catlike eyes.

Boldek continued to hold the human child in a chokehold as he took a step backwards toward the exit to the cave. He needed to get there if he wanted to make his escape. He quickly took one last look around the cave. The fighting was almost finished and his people were on the losing end. He saw his Shesha lying on the floor of the cave. He wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. There was nothing he could do to help her or the others. The nomads were in no way a match for these big hairy creatures. He had never seen these beings before and wondered where they could have come from.

Boldek eyes darted back to Tac, "If you let me go you can have this boy."

"How do I know you won't take him with you once you leave here?"

The nomad leader laughed, "You don't. You have to trust me. This child's life is at stake."

Tac knew this bastard could break Gibbs neck before he could reach him. There was nothing he could do at the moment so he just stood there and waited to see what the nomad leader was going to do next.

Boldek took another step backwards. He only had a few feet to go before he could make his escape. He needed to make sure he wasn't going to be followed. He was strong and he knew he could throw the boy hard enough to kill him. If he tried that maybe his adversary would try to save the child and give him those few seconds he needed to make his escape. He took one more step backwards and then tosses Gibbs as hard as he could across cave. As the nomad expected, Tac forgot him and move to intercept the child before he was hurt or killed. It gave Boldex just enough time to grab his blue globe and ran toward the exit. As soon as he grabbed the globe the strong winds started blowing into the cave. The nomad leader ran outside and hopped onto his wind beast. He made the rest of the animals scatter into the wind. Some of the Sasquatches had managed to fight the strong winds and make it to the outside but it was too late. They watch as Boldek disappeared before their eyes.

Meanwhile inside the cave, the winds were blowing hard. Tac had jumped into the air to try to catch Gibbs but the strong winds forced him against the wall. Tac thought he failed his friend until he saw one of the Sasquatches catch Gibbs in midair. He watched as Marqui, fighting the winds grabbed the protesting Gibbs and took him out of the room. Tac was relieved because now he could concentrate solely on his injured child.

It took Tac a few seconds to reach Smiley. The only movement he could see was Smiley's hair blowing in the wind. His child was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Tac picked his child up into his arms and stood up. He had to fight the winds as he carried the unconscious boy into the other room where he knew Gibbs was. He wanted Gibbs to at least be able to say good-bye to their child and friend.

Meanwhile Gibbs was trying with all his might to get away from Marqui. He was desperate to get back into the other room to help Tony. He stopped struggling when he saw Tac entering the room carrying an unconscious Tony in his arms. Tac stopped just a few feet from Gibbs and sat down on the floor so Gibbs could see his friend better. Gibbs moved closer. He could see bruises on Tony's face and body. He wanted to kill the bastard that did this to his friend. As Gibbs stood there, he wanted so badly to whisper into the unhearing ears that he did not give him permission to die but he knew Tony would not be heard this time.

The leader of the Sasquatch walked up behind the sitting Tac. He told them that the nomads were all dead except for the one who escape. His brothers and sisters were now taking care of disposing of their bodies. He looked down at the dying human boy. "I will take him from you if you like."

Gibbs became angry because he thought the leader of the Sasquatch wanted to take Tony's body away and dispose of it. "NO! CAN'T YOU SEE HE IS NOT DEAD YET. Please just let him be. Let him die with his friends."

Hania was a little confused until he finally understood what made the human child mad at him. "Please forgive me I did not choose my words wisely. If you let me take him I can save him but I must do it now before he draws his last breath. Once he does that there is nothing I can do to save him."

Gibbs just stared at the Sasquatch leader because he wasn't sure if he heard right at first. When he finally comprehended what the leader said, he took several steps back to make room for Hania to take Tony. Tac didn't say a word as he stood up and handed Tony over to the Sasquatch leader.

Hania gently took the unconscious boy into his arms. The leader of the Sasquatches looked at three, "You will all have to stay here. Where I am taking this little one only my kind is allowed. It is a sacred place for my people. Once my brothers and sisters are finished disposing of the nomads' bodies, one of them will bring you to Pashasha and the other children. I will bring this little back to you when he is well."

Only an hour passed but to Gibbs it seemed like an eternity before one of the Sasquatches finally entered the room. The tall hairy being signaled the three to follow him. It didn't take them long to reach Pashasha and the children. Gibbs could see the concern look in her eyes as they entered the room. She walked over and hugged both Tac and Gibbs.

As time passed and still no word about Tony's condition, Marqui and Pashasha decided to take the children back to the village and wait for word there. Tac and Gibbs were going to stay with the Sasquatches until they find out what happened to Tony.

Hours passed as Gibbs sat waiting quietly staring at the entrance to the room. Gibbs was exhausted and having trouble keeping his eyes open. It wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep. It was hours later when he finally started to wake up. As he opened his eyes he saw a pair of big green eyes looking at him, "Hey Little Boss, it's about time you woke up. I was being to think you where going to pull a Rip Van Winkle on me."

Gibbs grinned and immediately stood up. He grabbed Tony into the biggest bear hug he could manage. Tony felt like he was being hugged to death by Abby, "Little Boss…please I c…can't breathe." Gibbs immediately released him.

Blue eyes examined his young friend's face. He was amazed that all the bruises were gone. "Tony, are you really okay?"

Tony smiled, "Yah Boss…I am okay."

A smiling Tac moved closer, "Hania promised me…Smiley is back to his normal self. I am just not sure if my Smiley was ever normal?"

Tony acted like he took offense to that remark, "That really hurts my purple friend."

Gibbs looked at Tony and then to Tac, "Are you sure he is okay?"

Tac smiled as he nodded.

Tony had the biggest smile on his face as he looked back at Gibbs. Gibbs signaled Tony with his finger to come a little closer. As soon as he did Gibbs reached over and head slapped Tony as hard as he could on the back of his head.

Tony yelled out loud, "HEY LITTLE BOSS…WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

Gibbs was angry and lifted up his finger right in front of Tony's face, "That is for lying to me when I asked you what was that eye contact with Tac was all about. Don't you even try to deny it because Tac already told me it was your idea? "

Tony rubbed the back of his head as he gave his purple friend a dirty look, "Sorry Boss, I promise it won't happen again."

Gibbs stared into the green eyes and could see that he was making Tony feel uncomfortable. He smiled at himself when he realized that he could still stare down his SFA even at this age.

It was Tac who finally broke up the reunion, "Okay enough with long time no see feelings between you two. Don't forget we still have a mission to complete. We need to start heading back to the village. The children are waiting for us."

Both Gibbs and Tony looked at their friend in surprise. It wasn't long before they both bust out laughing, it was just too funny to hear Tac being the more serious one out of the three. Tac just looked confused as he was trying to figure out why they were laughing.

By the time they exited the cave there was very little daylight left. Tac helped the two boys up on the griffin. He turned to thank Hania for all his help.

The Sasquatches looked a little worried, "My friend, we all must be very careful now. The nomad who had escaped could be out for revenge."

Tac looked up at the night sky. There was a lot of light coming from the moon. They would be able to see their way back to the village without any problems he hoped. Tac looked back to the leader. "Yes, but he could be still fleeing and none of us will ever see him again."

"You could be right. Just be careful."

"We will…Let's hope he is long gone and we will never see him again."

Hania just nodded and turned to head back to his cave. Tac watched as the Sasquatch leader disappears inside the cave entrance. It was at that very moment he felt something hit his head. He turned and saw both Gibbs and Tony smiling at him. All he could say was, "HEY…WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Gibbs smiled, "That was for leaving me out of Tony and your plan..."


	13. Chapter 13

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

_As always thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. Here is the next to the last chapter. I hope you like?_

_**Chapter 13**_

_**The Village…**_

It was late in the night and all the children were asleep with the exception of Pamphilus and Galenus. The two boys were up telling Marqui and Pashasha about their lives before and than living with the nomads. Both boys stopped talking as soon as they heard Tac, Gibbs and Tony walk into the room. Pamphilus ran over and hugged Tony as hard as he could. The last time the boy had seen Tony he was dying. "Smiley…how is it you are alive? I thought the master killed you. I am so glad you are alive."

Tony managed a little grin, "Pamp my (yawn) buddy…I am also glad I am alive and thank you (yawn) for trying to help me."

The boy took a step back and looked at him in confusion. "Why…why would you thank me? I…I couldn't stop the master from hurting you."

Tony put both his hands on the boy's shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. "How can you say you did nothing to help? I heard you trying to get the master's attention away from me and onto you. What you did was (yawn) very brave and that is why I am thanking you."

The boy didn't say a word but smiled shyly at him.

Marqui waited until the two boys were finished before he asked Tac, "When do you plan to leave?"

Tac looked at the others and then back to Marqui, "We would like to leave the first thing in the morning but we will need to gather enough supplies for the ten extra children we will be taking back with us."

The village leader smiled, "My friends, it will only be only eight extra children, it seems Pamphilus and Galenus would like to stay in my village and I have told them they are more than welcome to stay here."

Tac got on his knees so he could be eye level with the two boys, "Are you sure you two want to do this?"

The two boys nodded at the same time but it was the boy Glaenus who spoke up, "Pamphilus and I have talked about this for a while. We both know there is nothing back on earth for us. Our families have been dead for a long time. So…we wish to stay here."

Tac could understand their feelings. Why would they want to go back to a world where they had nobody waiting for them? "Okay…so that means we are still are going to need enough supplies for the other children."

Pashasha smiled, "I have already gathered the supplies and unicorns we will need for the trip back. Two of the unicorns can carry the supplies and the rest will help carry the children. We will be ready to leave in the morning."

Tac smiled at her, "Are you in a hurry to get rid of us?"

Pashasha ignored him and looked at Gibbs and Smiley. She could tell they were tired and needed to get some sleep before they leave in the morning. "We still have a few hours before daylight. You two little ones can come with me and I will show you where you can sleep."

In the early morning hours, Tac and Pashasha started waking up the children so they could eat something before they left. Gibbs woke up immediately but Tony refused to open his eyes and just lay there. Tac smiled as he looked at his sleeping child, "Hania had warned me this might happen. Smiley's body is still recovering from the trauma. He said for the next few days Smiley is going to tire easy and may require more sleep than usual. Let's go get something to eat. We can try and wake him up before we leave. If not, I will have to carry him."

When they were finally ready to leave, Tac tried once again to wake up Smiley but the boy refused too. He just wanted to sleep. This time Tac came prepared just incase. He got down on his knees and placed his child into a handmade back carrier. Tac was going to have to carry Smiley because he was not going to be able to ride on the unicorn in his condition. Tac stood up and Pashasha helped place the sleeping boy on his back. It wasn't long after that they left the village.

It was around midday when Tony finally started to wake up. At first he just felt a rocking motion. He struggled to wake up and when he did he was surprised to find himself looking at the back of Tac's head. "What the hell?"

"It about time you woke up."

"How did I get here?"

Tac stopped and loosened the carrier and placed Smiley on the ground. "You wouldn't wake up so I had to carry you."

Tony became a little embarrassed when he saw Pashasha and all the children staring down at him. It was a few seconds later when a smiling Gibbs came into his view. He was riding Zashous with Tashous following behind him. "It's about time you woke up DiNozzo. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep through the whole trip."

Tony grinned a little, "Sorry Boss…I guess I was just a little tired."

Tac knelt down in front of Tony so he could get a better look at his eyes and make sure he was all right. "Are you okay enough to ride Tashous by yourself or do I still need to carry you some more?"

Tony said jokingly, "I would rather ride Tashous. At least he doesn't smell as bad as you do."

Tac knew his Smiley was just teasing him but he decided to have a little fun with him. He slowly stood up and acted as if he was offended. "See if I ever carry you again my ungrateful child. Next time I will just tie you to Tashous' tail and let him drag you. You think I smell bad? Wait until he has to relieve himself and drags you through it."

Tony gave him a worried look before he asked, "You wouldn't dare?"

Tac gave him a smug look and stood up, "Try me?"

Tony watched as Tac walked away from him. His purple friend looked at the others and told them it was time for them to take a break and get something to eat.

Tony smiled and looked at his boss and friend for help but Gibbs dismounted his unicorn and headed toward Pashasha so he could help with the children. Gibbs decided that he didn't want to get involved. His SFA got himself into this and he needed to find his own way to get himself out of it. Tony looked at his friend Tac realized that he may have pushed his friend a little too far this time.

"Oh…come on Tac…you know I was just joking don't you?"

Tac looked at his child and smiled. He could never stay mad at his child for too long. "Okay…next time I will only tie you to his back."

Tony looked at Tac and burst out laughing when he realized he had been had.

The rest of the trip back to Tac's families' sacred place went without a hitch. Pashasha had decided to accompany them so she could help with the children. She even followed them back to Earth with the excuse she wanted to help with the children but Gibbs and Tony knew she really wanted to spend more time with Tac.

_**Home at last…**_

An unidentified citizen had called the local LEOs and reported seeing a group of very young children hanging around an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Baltimore. When they went to check it out they found ten small children in one of the back rooms in the warehouse. The children were immediately taken to the nearest hospital to be checked out by the doctors.

It didn't take the news media long to get wind of it. The news reporters were already standing outside the hospital waiting for any word on the children. It was a little later, the police and hospital staff held a news conference. They told the reporters that all the children were examined by the doctors and were reported in good health. When one of the news reporter asked what the children were saying about their ordeal, the spokesman from the hospital said the children seemed to be a bit confused about where they had been. They were telling stories about being kidnapped by a purple creature and taken into some kind of fantasy world. The child psychiatrist who had spent some time talking with the children believes that whoever took the children was dressed up in a Barney costume.

_**Tony's Apartment…**_

Tony and Gibbs were finally back to their normal selves and they couldn't be happier. Tac said his goodbyes and left. Pashasha was waiting for him back at the warehouse. He was going to show her Earth before she headed back to their world.

Tony offered to buy Gibbs some pizza if he wanted to stay for a while but Gibbs told Tony that he needed to head home. He had a few things he needed to do. He would see him on Monday. After Gibbs left Tony ordered pizza and decided to take a quick shower before it arrived. By the time he was finished with his shower, he heard the doorbell ring. He hurried to put his sweatpants and tee shirt on. He grabbed his credit card and without thinking he opened the door. He was shocked to see Boldek standing in the hallway...


	14. Chapter 14

Return to the Innocence

By Glow60

_As always thank you for your Reviews, Favorites and Followings. Here is the last chapter. I hope you like?_

_**Chapter 14**_

_**NCIS…**_

On Monday, Gibbs was looking at his watch and wondered where the hell DiNozzo was. His SFA was almost an hour late. DiNozzo maybe late on occasions but he would always call him and let him know. Gibbs pulled out his cellphone and tried to call him one more time but he went into Tony's voicemail. Gibbs gut was telling him something was very seriously wrong. He told McGee and Ziva that he was going to get himself some coffee and he would be back in about an hour.

Gibbs parked just outside DiNozzo's building. He walked around the back to check and see if Tony's car was in the parking lot and it was. He tried one more time to call Tony but he didn't get an answer. He went back around the front and headed into the building. When he arrived at Tony's apartment he was surprised to find the door was slightly ajar. Gibbs pulled out his gun and slowly entered the apartment. He looked around and didn't see anything out of the ordinary except that DiNozzo was missing. As he walked back into the living room he noticed Tony's credit card lying on the floor. He bent down and picked it up and looked at it. Whatever happened here was not a robbery. He put his gun back into its holster.

Gibbs decided to knock on the neighbors' door. Tony's neighbor told him that she hadn't seen Tony since last Tuesday. She had been out of town visiting her sister in New York. She did mention something about the power going out on Friday night for no reason. All her frozen food was ruined when she got back and she had to throw it out. She also mentioned it took the landlord until the next day to get power back on.

Gibbs was worried because it sounded like something Tac could have caused. He headed back to NCIS. As soon as he entered the bullpen he order McGee to put a BOLO out on DiNozzo. His gut was telling him that the BOLO was a waste of time but he had to do something to explain why his SFA was missing. Gibbs headed upstairs to talk with Vance and let him know what was going on.

It was a little after dark and Gibbs was sitting on his couch. He kept thinking about DiNozzo and wondered what could have happened to him. He didn't remember falling asleep but he did. It was around midnight when he heard a noise. He raised his gun just incase. He saw Tac walk into his view.

Tac was worried and he began pacing, "Gibbs, I can't feel my child anymore. I went to his apartment and he was not there. While I was there, I caught the scent of the nomad leader. He must have taken my child. Gibbs we have to do something."

Gibbs put the gun down on the coffee table. "Why didn't you come sooner? I thought you could sense when DiNozzo is in trouble?"

Tac looked embarrassed and ashamed, "I am truly sorry Gibbs but I must confess I was distracted. I should have sensed my child was in danger but I didn't."

Gibbs shook his head, he knew Tac had every right to finally find someone special and want to be with her. "It's not your fault. It's that bastard who took him. Do you have any idea where they can be right now?"

"I believe they are no longer on Earth. If they were I would be able to sense my child. I believe that bastard has taken him back to my world."

"Then we go there and get DiNozzo back."

"No Gibbs, I can't take you with me this time."

Gibbs gave him his famous stare, "You think I am going to stay here and let you go alone?"

Tac shook his head; "I can't take a child with me this time. You would only slow me down."

"You don't need to change me into a damn child…"

_**Tac World…**_

When Tac entered his world he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was Gibbs. Right now, he looked close enough to be Tac's twin brother. His skin was light purple and his hair was very long and white just like Tac's. He had pointed ears and dark purple catlike eyes. If anyone looked close enough to his eyes they could see blue specks in them. He wore only a brown loincloth and matching vest just like Tac.

Tac looked at him, "Remember Gibbs even though my kind can speak your language you are not to speak to any of them. The moment you open your mouth someone will know you are not one of us. If they find us out, we can both end up being executed or banned from this world forever."

Gibbs was getting a little annoyed, "Tac…how many times are you planning to remind me? I got it after the fifth time."

Tac ignored his companion. He was worried because he could barely sense his child. He finally says to Gibbs, "Quiet I am trying to concentrate."

_**Boldek…**_

Boldek entered the dimly lit cave. It was dark with the exception of the light coming from the campfire. He heard a noise and turned toward it. He could see the unconscious human lying a few feet from the fire. He walked over and looked down at him. The nomad was puzzled. A few days ago, he had gone to Earth to find the child called Smiley and his caregiver. He wanted revenge on the both of them. His had used his nose to locate the child. The child's smell had brought him to Washington DC and to Tony's apartment. When the nomad had knocked on the door he was surprise to see a very healthy adult Smiley staring at him. He quickly subdued the human and took him back to his world.

Boldek reached into his bag and pulled out his blue globe and looked at it. He knew in his world he would be in serious trouble if anyone found out that he had brought a human adult into their world. It was the one rule that everyone obeyed.

He slowly sat down in a lotus position next to the unconscious human. He looked at his globe and slowly closed his eyes. The globe started pulsating. A bright blue light surrounded the human. Boldek opened his eyes and watched as the human started to shrink down in size. When the glowing finally stopped the adult was gone and a small boy was lying there in his place.

Boldek lifted the small child and cradled him with his legs. He watched as the boy slowly opened his eyes and stared at him. The nomad waited a few seconds before he finally asked, "Child…do you know who I am?"

The little boy nodded, "You…you are Boldek my…my master."

Boldek smiled at the big green eyes, "Good…now I want you to sleep for awhile." Within seconds the boy closed his eyes. The nomad grinned because he knew he now owned this boy's body and mind. When his caregiver comes he is going to be in for a big surprised…

_**Tac and Gibbs…**_

Tac opened his eyes and looked very puzzled. "Gibbs I cannot sense Smiley anymore. It's like he doesn't exist."

Gibbs was almost afraid to ask but he had to, "Is DiNozzo dead?"

Tac shook his head, "I don't think so. It's almost liked a door closed on him. He could be dead or in one of those dead zone where I cannot sense him."

"Can you still track him with your nose?"

"Yes."

_**The Cave…**_

It was early in the morning when Tac and Gibbs arrived just outside the cave. The closer to the cave, the more the smell became stronger. Tac ordered Gibbs to stay behind. He slowly moved toward the cave.

Boldek grinned as he walked outside the cave. The boy Tony followed closely behind him. "You can stop right where you are or I will hurt the boy."

Tac did as he was ordered and stopped in his tracks, "Smiley are you okay?"

The boy looked at him and then moved behind the nomad. Tac looked at the nomad and asked, "What have you done to my child?"

The nomad grinned, "This child is now mine." Boldek reach down and picked the child up. The boy immediately buried his face into his master's shoulder and would not look at Tac.

Tac moved a little closer; "I will kill you."

Boldek laughed out loud and slowly placed his hand on the back of the child's neck. He began to slowly massage it. He warned Tac, "If you take another step toward me, I will break this little one's neck before you can stop me."

Tac knew it was a standoff that he wasn't going to win, "What do you want from me?"

Boldek smile, "What I want is revenge. It took me centuries to become a leader. You and this child took it away from me within a day."

Tac didn't let on but out of the corner of his eye he could see Gibbs slowly moving toward them. He needed to keep the nomad attention on him. "Please do not harm my child. You can do what you want to me."

Boldek smiled as he stopped rubbing the boy's neck. "I want you down on your knees."

Tac did as he was told. Boldek was still holding the child as he reached into his vest and pulled out the blue globe. He was getting ready to use it on his adversary when Gibbs grabbed Tony away from the nomad's arm and ran.

Tac immediately tackled the nomad to the ground and the blue globe went flying into the air. Boldek tried to reach for it but he didn't quite make it. Seconds later he and Tac were fighting on the ground.

From a distance, Gibbs was holding the struggling Tony while trying to watch the fight between the two foes. Gibbs knew it didn't matter if he ran or not. If Boldek wins the fight there was no way he was going to be able to outrun him. He knew it was senseless for him to try and flee. He would just wait there and hope for the best.

After a while, it appeared Tac was going to win the fight and Boldek realized it. He decided that it was time for him to flee the area. As he was running he spotted his blue globe. He managed to grab it and a few seconds later he disappeared into the woods.

Tony saw Boldek run away and he started to cry for him.

Gibb tried to quiet the small boy but it was working.

Tac ran toward them and rushed to pick up his Smiley but the crying child turned away from him and buried his face into Gibb's shoulder. Tac took a step back because he had upset his child. He knew why.

"Gibbs…I have to go after Boldek. I need you to take Smiley to Pashasha. She can and will protect both of you until I take you back to Earth."

"Why can't we go now?"

Tac looked at the small boy. He wanted so badly to hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay but he knew Smiley didn't want him near him. It almost broke Tac's heart. "We can't go just yet. The nomad has a globe that has changed Smiley into this child with no memory of us. It's something I cannot fix without it. I must find him and find the globe. If I don't Smiley is going to remain this way."

"He could be waiting to ambush you."

"It's a chance I will have to take to get my Smiley back. Gibbs…I am sorry but as long as you are in this world you will have to remain in this form. If I don't make it back Pashasha will at least help you both to learn to live and function in this world."

"How am I going to find Pashasha?"

Tac turned and looked at a small field not too far from the cave. "Stay here until I call for you."

Gibbs watched as Tac walked a few hundred yards into the field. He stopped and placed both hands into the open air. Tac looked as if he was talking to someone or something. He began to move his hands as if he was rubbing something. Tac bowed his head and signaled Gibbs to come to him.

Once Gibbs was standing next to Tac he could hear what sounded like an animal breathing. He looked around but did not see anything. The hair on the back of his neck started to stand up. Gibbs looked at Tac. "I can hear it but I can't see it. What is it?"

"It's the nomad's wind creature?"

Gibbs reached out and he could feel something. He asked in amazement, "How did you know it was here?"

Tac smiled as he rubbed what looked like empty space, "All my kind can communicate with any creature but my father's people had a special ability to be one with them. I inherited it from him." Tac turned and looked at Gibbs, "I have asked my friend here if he would take you to Pashasha and he said he would."

Gibbs looked at Tac, "You got to be kidding me right? You want me to climb on the back of a creature that I can't even see."

"Gibbs I am surprised, I didn't realize what a scaredy cat you are? Remember we have to think of Smiley. We can't take him with us. One of us has to take him to safety. The other will have to find Boldek and take the globe from him."

Gibbs looked down at the small child he was holding in his arms. He could tell Tony was still very upset. He held the child a little tighter and began to rock him a little. Gibbs knew Tac was right and he needed to get Tony as far away here as he could. If he didn't there was a strong chance that Boldek could return and take Tony away and they would never see him again. "Okay, lets get this over with."

Tac left to get their backpacks. When he returned he removed the contents of one of the bags and cut holes in it. He then helped the crying boy into it. Tony was strapped to the front of Gibbs. Tac then helped Gibbs and Smiley up onto the beast. Gibbs didn't want to show any fear but he was very nervous. Even on top of the animal he could still see the ground underneath him. Tac handed him a blanket. Gibbs asked, "Just how cold is it going to get up there?"

"The blanket is not for the cold. The heat from the animal will keep you both very warm. I want you to use the blanket to cover Smiley. I don't want him looking down and see that he is thousands of feet into the air. It might scare him to death."

Gibbs smiled to himself. Tony wasn't the only one who might freak out once they were up in the air.

Before they left, Tac reached up to touch Smiley but the small boy moved back as if he was going to get burned. Tac stopped himself from going any further and looked at Gibbs, "I know I don't have to tell you to take care of him because I know you will guard him with your life. I promise you I will come for both of you as soon as I can."

Gibbs covered Tony with the blanket. Tac whispered something to the wind creature. It lifted off into the air. Within seconds Gibbs and Tony were flying over the forest. Gibbs watched until Tac disappeared from his view.

It was almost dark when the wind creature finally landed. Gibbs knew Pashasha's village was just a few miles away. He hopped off the animal and walked a few feet before he turned around. He could feel the wind and hear the animal taking off. He whispered a thank you to it.

Gibbs smiled as he looked down at the sleeping child. No matter how much he enjoyed this moment he couldn't wait until he got his SFA back to his normal self. He looked around to get his bearings. Once he did he headed in the directions he knew the village would be.

Pashasha was working on her notes when she looked up and saw a stranger holding a human child enter her house. She stood up and asked if she could help him. The stranger didn't say a word. She moved closer to him because she felt she knew him. As she moved closer she got a good look at the child, "Smiley?"

"Yes."

She looked at the stranger, "What are you doing with Smiley?"

Gibbs wasn't sure what to say at first, "We…need your help."

Pashasha moved closer and studied his face, "Gibbs…is that you?"

"Yes."

"What are you two doing here and where is Tac?"

As Gibbs explained why they were there, Pashasha helped him to unfasten the straps to release Smiley from the backpack. The boy didn't wake up at all. Pashasha took the sleeping child into her arms. She laid him gently down on some cushions. She placed a blanket over him. She turned and looked at Gibbs, "You don't need to worry, Tac told me the truth about you two. You both can stay here until he comes to get you."

_**Thousands of miles away… **_

Tac was sitting in a tree looking up at the moon. He watched as several phoenixes and griffins flew by. He knew Gibbs and Smiley must have made it to Pashasha's village by now. He closed his eyes and tried to feel his child but couldn't. He had not been able to sense his child since Boldek had changed him into that confused little boy. The thought of what that bastard did to his child made him angrier. He couldn't wait until he got his hands a hold of that bastard. It was long into the night before he finally fell into a deep sleep.

When morning came, Tac hopped down from the tree. He took one last look around and headed in the direction his nose was telling him he would find the nomad…

Boldek was standing next to the edge of the cliff he could not see the bottom. He needed to get across. He pulled out his blue globe and closed his eyes ton concentrate on it. He felt something grabbed the globe from his hand. When he opened his eyes he saw Tac standing just a few feet away. He watched as Tac lifted the globe up and held it above his head.

The nomad leader grinned, "You don't know how to use it."

Tac had an evil grin on his face, "This globe once belonged to my father and he taught me how to use it. After he died it disappeared. We all believe he hid it somewhere and we could never find it.

Boldek closed his eyes and waited for his fate. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop it…

_**Pashasha's Village…**_

Gibbs was sitting and talking with Pashasha when Tac walked into the room. Gibbs stood up, "Did you get the globe?"

Tac nodded and pulled it out of his vest.

_**Gibbs' House**_

Tac had decided to go back to his world and spend some time with Pashasha. Gibbs and Tony were so relieved they were finally home. Gibbs now needed to call NCIS and come up with a good cover story for Tony's disappearance. While he was thinking about it Tony was in the kitchen raiding his refrigerator. Tony brought the food into the living room and turned on the TV set. He was getting ready to take a bite out of his sandwich when he felt a head slap.

"Hey…why did you do that?"

Gibbs smiled, "That is for calling me Little Boss when I told you not to."


End file.
